


Roads Untraveled

by Aecoris



Series: Demon Dean Series [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Apocalypse, Big Brother Dean, Brotherly Bonding, Brothers, Caring Sam, Croatoans, Demon Dean Winchester, Family, Fatherly Bobby Singer, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Sam Winchester, Sam Winchester's Demonic Powers, Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2015-07-17
Packaged: 2017-12-30 19:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 204,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1022739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aecoris/pseuds/Aecoris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to The Burden of Being Me and You - (demonDean) The brothers are attempting to adapt after the Croatoan Virus has infected the majority of the population. They soon begin to realize that no place is safe and there is much more to fear than simply the raging Croats. With new threats constantly emerging, will the stress and struggle put their relationship and sanity in danger?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poster I created

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank my beta and friend, Gabi, for continuing to support me in the series and for making the story a better one in general. Thank you for putting in the time to not only make corrections but offer advice and your opinion for not only this story, but the many others you have helped me over, what has it been...4 years, 5? I know my stories are much better with your help! :)

_This is the sequel to a previous story, The Burden of Being me and You. I would suggest reading that story first, or nothing will make sense. :) Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the previous story and I welcome and new readers! This story takes place one year after "Burden" ended. I hope you will enjoy the continuation of this universe._

* * *

**Prologue**

Like the rest of the world, downtown Sioux Falls was a wasteland compared to what it used to be. Litter filled the streets, windows were smashed from looters' stray bullets and stalled cars were visible for as far as the eye could see.

It didn't take long for the world to collapse. Lexi remembered this all too clearly. Anyone that took the 'swine flu' vaccine turned into a raging Croat, anyone that those people bit changed as well.

She thought humanity had been doing a decent job at first. There had been shelters placed, television still broadcasted, people were gathering together and protecting one another. They had more than enough bullets to fight off the infected because people caught onto the vaccine. Broadcast television and music went off the radio, to be only filled with news reports and warnings. People stopped going to work, trains, planes and taxis stopped operating.

Eventually, less and less of the news stations continued to report, sometimes news people were attacked in front of the camera, for anyone watching to see. Not that it was a shocking sight, people were getting attacked left and right, starting in the major cities and spreading outwards. The streets were jammed packed which made it easy for Croats and Muggers to attack; farmers abandoned their farms, leaving to food to rot. People were lucky to find cans and boxes of food in the rubble and abandoned stores. Electricity eventually went down all together, with too much damage and no one available to repair it. Even with all this, people were still surviving and fighting.

But then...the demons came. Creatures with black eyes that Lexi first thought were people with a different virus. But these things weren't human at all, they had these...these powers that could lift stuff and start fire...but most of all, those powers could kill.

And that's exactly what the demons did. They disguised themselves as humans by making their eyes seem normal, they pretended to be their friends. They took over a group of people who had gone out to gather some more supplies. Then, their eyes flicked to black and they announced they were demons straight from Hell and that was where the world was going to.

Then they killed. Lexi had been lucky enough to hear rumors of the demons and actually believed them. She noticed that those people in their group had seemed colder, evil almost, and she had taken her son Aiden and ran. Ran like a coward as she heard the rest of her town get shot, stabbed and slaughtered like animals. She even thought she heard the demons release Croats into the crowd, it would make sense, the demons wanted as many Croats running loose as possible.

She had fled to Sioux Falls, Aiden crying and asking countless questions the entire time, questions that Lexi couldn't answer.

Questions like, "Why did you leave Daddy in that room?"

Why had she? She had been too cowardly to try and explain to Mark that these people were evil and they had to leave. She had been afraid that she wouldn't have been able to get to her husband in time, who had been standing on the other side of the room, going over food rations.

They had been near the exit of the library, the building that they had gathered in together to stay safe. How great that worked out.

Lexi had been too worried about saving her own skin. If Aiden had been on the other side of the room, would she have gone after him?

She sure hoped so.

Her cowardice had its consequences, and Lexi was certain that Aiden didn't trust her any longer. He didn't look up to her like he used to. He never said it out loud, but there were moments where the expression on his small face just screamed "You let Daddy die!"

He was right, though, after all.

She had been staying with Aiden alone in Sioux Falls for six months. Six months of watching the same thing happen here that did in her small town. Except there was more. More rioting, killing, demons, everything.

Everything fell apart.

The worst feeling of them all was feeling like she had lost her son. Sure, she hadn't been prepared for motherhood at 17, and she still felt like she was doing everything wrong at 23. She was a terrible mother and an even more horrible wife. She hadn't wanted to get married so young and just because of their son, but both her parents and Mark's pushed it. Mark had loved her but Lexi...while Mark was a good father and a very loving man, he had never been the one for her. Maybe that's why she didn't go after him to try and save him, to for once finally feel free. It was selfish and so horrible and she destroyed Aiden's trust in her for doing so. Not only had he watched his grandmother, Lexi's mother, get bitten and turn, but he had to hear his father die as well.

Lexi was so wrapped in her thoughts that she nearly missed Aiden tugging on her pants.

"Mommy, look." The young boy pointed to a small bookshop that looked just as filthy and destroyed as every other building on the block. "Can I go look for some books?"

They didn't have time for this; they needed to find a grocery store or some place that might have some boxed or canned food. But Lexi had let Aiden down enough, so she reluctantly agreed to go into the bookstore.

"Only for a few minutes Aiden, we need to get some food. Stay near me and don't make any noise."

Aiden grinned and hugged his stuffed dog to his chest, the dog he brought everywhere, the one that Mark had bought for him on his 5th birthday, the last normal birthday he would ever have.

They walked as silently as possible, Lexi scanning the store for any survivors or Croats, it seemed they were alone. Leading Aiden over to the children's section, they had to step over many fallen and dirty books, but there were still a good amount that were untouched on the shelves that hadn't fallen over.

She was hoping Aiden would hurry, but he had a hand on his chin as he squinted at the books like an old, thoughtful man would do. She couldn't suppress her sigh and he picked up individual books and attempted to read each title.

"What do you think of this one, Mommy?" Aiden held up a book with pictures of farm animals on it but she barely glanced at it. They had to leave, nowhere was safe.

"It's good, come on, let's go now." She grabbed Aiden's arm and spun around, but in her haste she didn't look where she was walking. An opened book was on the ground, the pages facing up and she slipped on it, bringing Aiden down with her and knocking over a chair in the process.

The groans and growls started almost immediately. Lexi didn't know where they were coming from, but they sounded like they were inside the store so she did the first thing that came to mind, she jumped up with Aiden and ran to the door.

She was well ahead of the Croats, who seemed to be rather slow, and thought they were home free...

As soon as they got outside, a Croat came bolting from the left and knowing that the monster was going to grab onto one of them, it was much too fast, she shoved Aiden roughly ahead of her just in time for the Croat to run into her.

Falling to the ground with the snarling beast on top of her, Lexi struggled wildly, she felt pain but didn't stop to think of what it meant, all that mattered was that she get her knife out and overpower the thing pinning her down.

Thinking quickly, Lexi brought her elbow down on the monster's head as it went to bite at her throat, distracting it for only a second.

But it was long enough for her to pull out her knife and stab the thing in the eye. It growled one last time and then its disgusting body fell limply on top of her.

Pushing the body off, Lexi felt a sharp pain slicing through her left arm. As Aiden ran over to her, tears streaming down his face, she took a look at her limb to see...

A bite. Somewhere in the struggle the thing had bitten her. She was dead. In hours she would be the very thing that just attacked her.

In a way, she figured she deserved it after all. It was a miracle she survived this long.

Her son's weak whimpering and the groans from the slow Croats in the bookstore brought her out of her shock. She was dead, and Aiden most likely would be without her, but he at least deserved a shot. Maybe he'd get lucky and some hunters would find him, the people who were experienced at killing these and all other types of monsters. That would be Aiden's best shot. It was slim, but at least he'd have a chance.

The thing was, she had to make him let her go, no matter how harsh she may have to be.

She grabbed her son's hand, realizing how small and fragile he felt in that moment. He'd never make it. She should kill him now and spare him the misery of being ripped apart by a Croat.

No, no, she couldn't do that. There could still be hope for him. But first thing, she had to bring him somewhere safe. After running a few blocks, Lexi spotted a small coffee shop on a corner and rushed inside. She had to break this news to him quickly, who knew when she would turn?

She knelt down behind the counter, body already starting to feel weak and sluggish, beginning to fail. "Aiden, sweetie, you're going to have to go on your own now, I got bit." She quickly showed the boy her wound. "I'm not going to make it so it's up to you, okay?"

Immediately, tears started streaming down Aiden's face. "But...but you said there could be a cure! It's been a long time Mommy, maybe there's one now."

Lexi shook her head, frustrated. "No Aiden, there's not. The same thing is going to happen to me that happened to grandma. We can't stop it. You've got to hide here and look for anyone that comes by so they can help you, do you understand?"

Aiden just kept sniffling. "But Mommy! Don't leave me please! I'm scared."

Anger flowing through her, Lexi raised her voice as much as she dared, her voice cold. "You stay here and don't follow me! I don't want you anywhere near me! Now stay here and shut up until someone comes by!" It killed her to talk like this to her son, but it was the only way he'd listen.

Aiden dropped to the floor, sitting there and clutching his stuffed dog. "Go away! I hate you! You made daddy die and now you will too!"

Those were the words she knew all along, her son hated her and now...now she was getting what she deserved. Forcing herself to look away from her son, Lexi turned and ran out of the building, determined to get as far as she could before she turned.

* * *

_Weep not for roads untraveled_

_Weep not for paths left alone_

_'Cause beyond every bend_

_Is a long blinding end_

_It's the worst kind of pain I've known_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Official first chapter

The town was silent except for the sound of crunching leaves and debris caused by the feet of the three people that wandered the empty streets.

Dean and Sam Winchester kept lookout, between them was a young boy, probably 6 or 7, who would occasionally sniffle and hug his stuffed dog to his chest.

They found the boy alone, huddled under a turned over table in one of the small local coffee shops while they were out in town looking for more supplies and possibly, survivors who could be trusted and taken back to Bobby's.

Dean would kill for some coffee right now. And pie. Damn, how he missed pie.

The boy and his mother got separated a few days ago, from what Dean could make out of his high pitched snotty crying. They had gone out to try and find food and ran into some Croats, mother got bit by one and left him. Father had apparently been killed by demons, explaining why the kid turned frantic when he saw Dean's black eyes.

Again, this was only what Dean assumed from the choked out, simple story the kid gave them. It had taken a lot of coaxing but they were eventually able to convince the kid that Dean wasn't a bad demon.

At least the twerp had stopped crying. For the time being, that was. Dean had learned to appreciate the little things. Sort of.

As long as he had his baby brother by his side though healthy and happy, well as happy as he could possibly be given the situation, Dean was good.

"Dean."

Speaking of Sammy...

The younger brother grabbed Dean's jacket to stop him and pointed at a group of disabled cars to their left.

Something was moving. And groaning. A Croat, at least one, hopefully not more.

Dean pulled out his gun and so did Sam, they went to aim for an easy kill...

And then the Croat woman jumped out, sprinting towards them. She was a young one, her body not deteriorating yet, she looked normal if it wasn't for the crazy look on her face and the blood all over her body, most of which was not hers.

Unfortunately, she was also quick and her brain wasn't as fried yet as she actually attempted to dodge their bullets, which hit her in the arms and legs, not slowing her down in the slightest.

And then the little boy took off. He dropped his stuffed dog and ran with his arms wide open. "Mommy!" he cried.

Well, shit.

Sam dropped his gun and went after the kid so quickly that Dean hardly had time to realize his brother left his side. Dean ran after, but Sam had already grabbed the struggling little boy when the Croat jumped on them both.

"Sammy!" Dean screamed. In the tussle Sam had managed to push the little boy out. He was a foot or two away from the fight, crying hysterically.

Dean didn't pay him a second glance.

He reached for the Croat, not wanting to shoot because Sam was tangled up with it, the thing howled, snapping and biting his arms. Not that it mattered, it wasn't like demons could get infected, but it was still disgusting.

Once he had a firm grip on the Croat's collar, he reached out with his powers and pushed Sam out of the way. He then flung the infected woman on the ground, her head cracking against the pavement from his inhuman strength.

"Bye bye bitch," Dean growled as he emptied a bullet into her skull.

They had to hurry; the commotion could have attracted other Croats, especially the young and strong ones like the woman.

But first and foremost, he had to check on his brother.

Dean ran back over to Sam's side, kneeling down next to him. As soon as he saw the look in his sad eyes, he knew something was terribly wrong.

"Dean," Sam practically whimpered, he was clutching onto his forearm and Dean could see blood dropping down.

No. No this wasn't fucking happening! They had been so careful, so damn careful up to this point!

"It's okay Sammy." Dean forced his voice to remain calm and sure. "Let me take a look at that."

"No." Sam shook his head, tears falling from his eyes.

"Sammy, you gotta let me, man. I can help you, come on, it's alright..." Sam finally began to pull his shaking hand away. "That's it...you're okay..."

Dean's breath caught in his throat as Sam fully removed his hand. There, bleeding with a chunk of skin missing, was a Croat bite.

Not his fucking Sammy!

The kid suddenly wailed long and loud and Dean whipped his head around to face him. "Shut the hell up you little brat! This is your goddamn fault!"

The kid screamed louder, his cries piercing Dean's ears.

"Dean," Sam said quietly. "Don't, it's not his fault. It's mine."

"Like hell it is! He's the one that ran right toward the monster!" Dean turned to address the kid again. "Shut up or more of them will come and they'll kill you this time!"

The kid hiccupped, still crying, but not as loud. "Don't kill me Mr. Demon! I'm sorry!"

Dean looked away, not wanting to deal with the brat any longer. He glanced down at Sam's wound, feeling a hollow and angry feeling dwell up inside him. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time, at least not this strongly.

He had to relax. Sam could be okay. He probably was okay.

"You're alright Sammy," Dean repeated himself. "You're immune, remember? This will sting and ache but it won't infect you. You'll be fine."

"But Dean... The virus is so more advanced then it was back then. It's stronger now, I might not be immune any longer..."

"Don't say that!" Dean growled, not realizing that he had busted the glass of the building across the street from his powers due to anger. "You're stronger now, too! You have a lot more of that demon blood in you now. You've been taking it every day. You're good, Sammy."

"You think so?" Sam asked shakily, his voice finally holding some hope.

Dean took out a water bottle filled with the blood mixture, urging Sam to drink. "I know so, Sammy. When have I ever lied to you?"

Dean hoped like hell he wasn't lying today.

A few Croats had been awakened during the kid's obnoxious screaming, so Dean helped pick his brother up and turned to the little boy.

"Come on, kid, follow me."

"But my doggy!" the little boy sobbed, pointing at his stuffed dog that lay a few feet away.

"If you want it so bad, then go grab it and hurry up!"

The kid ran to grab his stuffed toy and Dean turned to his brother, who was standing upright on his own, but looking terribly shaken.

"Come on, Sammy. We're heading to Bobby's. He has stuff where you can clean that wound up..."

"No." Sam shook his head stubbornly. "We can't go to Bobby's."

Dean glared at his brother, not believing what he was hearing. "We have to go back, Sam! What the hell are you thinking?"

"Dean, what if I turn there? I'd put everyone in danger!"

Dean clenched his teeth, wanting to shake his brother but kept his hands at his sides. "You're not gonna turn! I told you, you're immune. You'll be fine!"

"Even if that's true Dean...I don't want to take chances. And we can't risk going back and having everyone see the bite. They'll be suspicious even if they don't see it, with me locking myself in the room..."

"Sammy..."

"No...Dean. I can't...and if they see the bite and then I'm okay...they'll know I'm immune. Do you know how much hassle that will create? They could want to use my blood and try to find a vaccine, even though we know that doesn't work...you wouldn't want that to happen..."

Sam trying to make Dean feel guilty worked. Of course he wouldn't want to risk the group finding out Sam was immune and using him!

"Fine, we're gonna find somewhere to stay though..." The kid came running back to join the brothers. "..keep a lookout for any apartment buildings...you too, kid. The Croats will have a harder time breaking in to apartments and finding our room rather than a house."

* * *

It took them about an hour, they ran into Croats a few times and had to backtrack, but they found an apartment building that was down a side street.

Sam wasn't looking so good and Dean was freaked as hell. Deep down, he wanted to believe Sam would be okay, but what if he wasn't?

There was a good chance the virus had advanced so that it COULD infect Sam.

But he wouldn't think of that now. Not when Sammy needed him. He couldn't flip out with anger and smash and kill things like he wanted to.

They made their way into the building and up to the top floor. Dean had to help Sam, who was feeling light-headed and sweating, up the steps.

"Almost there, Sammy, then you can lay down."

"I'm...I'm fine Dean..." Sam mumbled, not sounding convincing in the slightest.

"Mr. Demon...I'm hungry," the kid whined, tugging on Dean's jacket.

"Shut the hell up kid! Would you rather be a little hungry or get eaten by a Croat?"

The kid began sniffling a bit, but the sobs didn't start. Thank goodness.

Several of the doors were left wide open, the rooms trashed. Walking further down the hall, Dean found one that had been left locked and dead bolted. The owner probably left their apartment, locking the door behind them thinking they would return once the "flu" passed.

Little did they know.

It looked like no one bothered to try and loot it, thinking it would waste too much time when there were easier places to steal from.

Dean knelt down in front of the lock after helping Sammy lean against the wall. He worked on the lock and deadbolt in silence, using his powers to help him as well. If it wouldn't have alerted Croats and scavengers, Dean would have just kicked the door down.

Finally freeing the door, Dean opened it, entering stealthy just in case the owner had locked themselves inside.

The place looked like it hadn't been touched in months, perfect. Still, Dean checked all the rooms.

"Alright, Sammy, it's safe, come on in."

Dean turned just in time to see Sam collapse as he stepped in the apartment.

Of course, Dean caught him before he could fall, and Sam instantly began attempting to bat Dean away.

"I'm okay...I'm okay Dean..." Even his voice sounded weak.

"Like hell you are!" Dean grabbed Sam, actually picked his giant body up in his arms and carried him into the dusty bedroom. "Don't take it out on me if there's spiders in the bed, alright, Sammy?" He helped to gently lay his brother down on the bed.

Noises altered Dean and he turned to see the damn kid rustling through the cabinets. He sighed and looked back at his brother. "I'll be right back, okay, Sammy?"

The younger brother nodded weakly and Dean spun around and stormed into the living area. He held out his hand and with his powers, shutting and locking the door into the hallway and causing the little boy to jump.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" Dean growled.

"I'm...I'm just hungry Mr. Demon, sir...please..."

"You can eat when we're sure we're safe. Safety's the top priority in this life. You can't just sit back and stuff your face whenever you feel like it anymore. There are no more luxuries, so close the damn blinds before any scavengers or demons see us in here."

The kid was shaking, but still listened to Dean's requests as he ran over and attempted to close the curtains and blinds. Dean made his way into the bathroom, which other than having some cobwebs, was actually pretty clean.

Immediately heading over to the medicine cabinet, Dean discovered some expired Tylenol that would have to do and grabbed hydrogen peroxide and ointment. There were no bandages, but Dean could make his own.

Hopefully Sammy was only sporting an infection that would wear away with some medicine.

Dean checked in on his brother, who was looking pale and sick, but still awake. He wanted to get Sammy cleaned up as soon as possible, but he needed to make sure the kid was settled and that the apartment was safe. They didn't need anyone or anything breaking in with their backs turned.

The kid had actually done a decent job, Dean only had to fix one section of the blinds. He then found extra blankets in the closet and stuffed it under the door. He doubted that anyone would come walking through the apartment building, but they could never be too safe.

Then, closing his eyes, Dean concentrated and was able to light up the whole room, the electricity being contained and not spreading through the whole building.

"Wow!" The little boy jumped up, nearly dropping his stuffed dog. "Power! Lights! This is so cool! I haven't seen power in forever! Will the air and toilets work?"

"I don't know," Dean grumbled. He reluctantly walked over to the fridge, being prepared to be assaulted with revolting smells of long-ago spoiled food.

Instead, he found only beverages. As if whoever stayed here knew they wouldn't be returning for a while and didn't want to clean up the rotting mess when they returned. It almost made Dean think someone else was living here still.

He grabbed a warm water bottle since they were out of the ones they had carried with them. Walking away, Dean checked the rest of the small living area that doubled as a kitchen and dining area. He then wandered into the bathroom. No one was there and he already checked the bedroom. They were safe. No one else was here.

Dean walked past the kid who was now laying on the couch and flipping through the magazines on the end table. Back in the bedroom, he unscrewed the cap to the water bottle and lifted his brother's head up.

"Come on, Sammy, drink."

"Dean...," Sam mumbled, some water dripping out of his mouth. "It hurts...and my head..."

"What with your head?"

"I feel dizzy...and I feel...I feel sick..."

"It's probably just an infection, Sammy. Don't worry, I've got stuff here to patch you up. You'll be feeling fine after a good night's sleep, alright?"

"But...but what if I turn, Dean?"

"Stop being a freak and shut up about that. I told you you'll be fine and I don't want to hear a single word otherwise, got it?"

Sam simply nodded and Dean gently grabbed his arm to check on the wound. Sam attempted weakly to pull the arm back to his chest, his face a picture of fear and pain.

"You know I gotta check on it, dummy. Come on, don't fight me."

Sam finally stopped fighting and let Dean grab his arm and unwrap the fabric that he had tied earlier around the bite.

"Shit." The wound was inflamed and red and was starting to ooze puss.

"Wha...what? Dean?"

Dean hadn't realized he said that out loud. Crap. He used his powers to push his brother's head back down on the pillow.

"Nothing. It's infected, doesn't look too good. But I'm gonna take care of you. Just relax, okay?"

Sam nodded but then quickly shook his head. Dean sighed in response, "What, Sam?"

"I...I want to tell you something."

"Okay, then spit it out."

Sam swallowed, his eyes darting away from his brother briefly only to quickly lock his gaze on Dean's black eyes.

"If I don't make it out of this..."

"Oh god, don't even START with that shit, Sam!"

Sam reached up weakly and grabbed Dean's arm. "No...please…I need to tell you...I don't think you know."

"Then hurry the hell up already!"

"I...I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not believing that it was you...you went through Hell for me, Dean and I beat you up. I'm so sorry."

Dean rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Whatever, it's fine, Sam. We're good now."

"No!" Sam yelled and squeezed Dean's arm. "No it's not fine! I'm sorry for taking you for granted before. Whether it be Stanford or calling you selfish for selling your soul. I never meant to hurt you, Dean..."

"Alright, that's enough..."

"It's not though! I don't think you realize how much you mean to me, Dean. How proud I am of you for still being my brother even though you're a demon. I don't think any less of you, Dean, I need you to know that."

"Stop being an idiot, I already know that."

"I...just...I needed you to know. Because when I turn you have to kill me and not feel bad..."

"Sam ." Dean felt like he was practically shouting. "I'm not gonna kill you. You're not gonna turn. And even if you were, I don't give a damn, I'd keep you safe until I found a cure. I wouldn't give up on you."

Sam shook his head, a few tears falling. "You always save me, Dean. I feel like I never am able to save you. But I want you to know that I try, I try so damn hard and I'd do anything for you..."

"Okay, I think that's the fever talking Sammy, I gotta get this wound taken care of."

"Wait...please just know I'm sorry Dean..."

Dean sighed, he guessed he'd have to address this, just for his brother. "Sammy, I know that. And it's alright, honestly, it is and I know you've got my back, alright? You help me more than you realize, stupid bitch, remember Alastair?"

Sam finally cracked a smile and Dean was just happy this conversation was over with.

Opening up the bottle of hydrogen peroxide, Dean decided to not warn his brother as he dumped the solution over the wound.

Sam screamed, the wound bubbling and although Dean immediately dabbed at the wound, Sam's eyes rolled back as he passed out.

At least he wouldn't feel the rest of the cleaning process.

Dean was nearly done patching Sam up when a loud static-like noise suddenly erupted from the living area. Running in, Dean was greeted by the kid frantically pushing the buttons on the TV.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean yelled as loud as he dared. He walked over and shut the TV off.

"I...was just trying to watch TV! I'm sorry, Mr. Demon!"

"You know the TVs stopped broadcasting months ago! Just because I got power working doesn't mean the newscasters and actors are gonna come back from the dead and start making programs again! The world is going to Hell, kid, survival is what the rest of us are worried about, not damn TV shows!"

"I'm sorry! I thought the power meant the TV would work! Does that mean Barney is dead too, Mr. Demon?"

Dean sighed. He knew Sam would laugh in this situation but he was too pissed and worried to do so. "Yeah, Barney's dead, too. And STOP calling me Mr. Demon! My name is Dean, kid! Call me Dean!"

"Okay...okay Mr. Dean. My name is Aiden."

Oh right, maybe Dean should have asked for the kid's name. Or maybe the kid had already told them and Dean just didn't care to listen. Oh well.

"But...but maybe the DVDs will work?" Aiden pointed to a DVD case, season 2 of Everybody Loves Raymond.

"Give me that." Dean snatched the DVD box out of the kid's hand and popped out the first disc. He slipped it in, lowering the volume all the way but there was still only static.

Shit. Sammy would know how to do this, he was the tech wiz. Dean tried to think of what his brother would tell him every time they wanted to watch a DVD. He'd roll his eyes and say something about "input".

Dean looked down at the remote and sure enough, there was an input button. Once he pressed it, a bunch of options popped up. He assumed he had to click the DVD one, so he scrolled down until it was highlighted.

Sure enough, once the button was pressed the DVD menu popped up, Dean clicked play and then tossed the remote carelessly to the kid.

Aiden suddenly jumped up and grabbed onto Dean's legs, hugging them tightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Dean."

Dean didn't like the feeling of having his legs trapped. It reminded him of Hell, being tied down and unable to move. Finding himself freaking out a bit over his lack of freedom and the uncomfortable sensation of this hug, Dean pried the kid off of him roughly.

"Shut up and sit down. Don't turn the volume up any louder."

Aiden nodded, clutching the remote in his small hands.

"Good. Now I'm going in there to take care of my brother. You don't come in our room unless there's an emergency, do you understand me?"

"Is he going to be okay?" Aiden looked sad and Dean could see the tears welling up. "He looked really sick."

Dean found himself getting mad for whatever reason. "Of course he's going to be okay!" he growled. "He's just sick, I'm going to take care of him and he'll be fine. I'm his big brother and I'm not gonna let him down!"

Aiden just stared at Dean blankly after his rant. Dean was breathing heavily and could feel his hands begin to shake. He didn't know why he had screamed that or felt the need to defend his big brother skills. All that he knew was that he was pissed and felt out of control.

If he got this spazzy from thinking of the possibility of losing Sam, just how would he get if Sam...

No, he wasn't going to think of that. Sam would be fine. And Dean was going to be fine, too. He wasn't going to turn into some crazy violent rage-filled demon, because he'd have Sam. Sammy was going to be okay.

Dean turned away from Aiden and stormed back into the bedroom. The only reason he didn't slam the door was because Sam was sleeping and needed all the rest he could get.

Dean ran a hand through his longer than usual hair at the site of his little brother sleeping restlessly on the bed. Sweat was dripping down Sam's forehead so Dean poured some of the water from the bottle on a clean washcloth and ran it over his face.

"You'll be feeling as good as new when you wake up, Sammy. Big brother will fix you yet again and then I'll beat your ass for getting bitten in the first place, how's that sound?"

Dean stared at Sam's face, which was pain-filled even in his sleep, and sighed.

"That was really stupid of you. Shoulda just let the kid run if he was going to be an idiot and approach the Croat like that. But no, of course you had to save the little brat and risk your own life." Dean tossed the washcloth on the nightstand and turned his attention to finishing the bandaging of Sam's wound.

"You know I'm proud of you for being like that though, even if it pisses me off at the same time. You're a real good kid, Sammy, or I should say man, you're only a kid to me." Dean tightened the bandage, feeling lost at what to do next. "A lot of people are turning into sick monsters, and I'm not talkin' about the Croats. But you're showing all these other people that there's still good guys out there who want to help. And well, I guess that's pretty cool."

Dean focused and the lights went off in the apartment room. Better to leave them off while they were sleeping. Just in case.

"And I'm not saying to stop trying to protect these idiots, cause I know you won't stop. But you're being a helluva lot more careful after this." Dean shook his head, his hands shaking. "Or it's me that's gotta be more careful. I shoulda been able to pull you away when you ran toward that Croat. I should have been faster. If I would have, then none of this would be happening. I gotta keep an eye on you, never let you out of my site, be more focused..."

Dean trailed off, hanging his head. He felt dizzy, which was strange because it wasn't like demons could get sick. But Dean's head felt like it was about to explode, his heart beating in his chest so fast it felt like it would rip out of his body. He bit his lip so hard that it punctured the skin and it began to bleed.

_Deep breaths. That's all, take deep breaths. You're fine you stupid idiot._

Dean noticed an odd feeling on his face. He brought a shaky hand up and ran it along his cheek. Feeling something wet, Dean pulled his hand away to take a look.

There, on his fingertip was one tear. A fucking tear. He had been crying.

Slamming his fist down on the nightstand, Dean cursed at his emotions. He was a demon, a pathetic, broken demon who let his brother get bitten by a Croat. He didn't deserve to feel any emotions, let alone emotions this strong that it actually caused him to shed a tear.

"Some brother you have, Sammy, I'm so damn strong that I cry? What a fucking joke…"

He didn't think demons could fucking cry unless they were faking it. But apparently Dean was so screwed up that he could.

He didn't deserve it, after everything he did, after what he just let happen, he only deserved to feel nothing at all, to not have any form of releasing his worry and sadness.

_Get your act together loser, you're a damn demon and can't even man up. Imagine if Sam saw you like this!_

_You're fine, you're an emotionless strong demon. Nothing is affecting you._

_You're a failure of a brother._

_Just fine, nothing wrong here._

No. He wasn't fine. He'd fucking admit it. He was scared shitless.

Sammy could be turned come morning.

"I'm sorry Sammy, I'm so fucking sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

Dean didn't know how long he'd been talking; all he knew was that the sky had gone dark a while ago as night had fallen. He barely registered the sound of the fast approaching late spring thunderstorm. Thunder filled the silence where Sam should have been talking.

"Remember how your ass would freak out during these things, Sammy?" Dean hardly paused between his thoughts as he rambled on. "You would jump out of your bed sobbing like a big wuss and crawl into mine. I'd have to tell you stories until you finally passed out, drooling on me."

Dean looked over at his brother, who's only movement the past hours had been twitching restlessly in his sleep. Putting a hand on Sam's forehead, Dean growled when he felt that his brother was still burning up. But he didn't feel as warm as he had earlier...he was getting better...

Unless it was just Dean's mind telling him what he wanted to believe. Sam's fever could be getting worse.

But he did feel cooler, Dean was nearly sure of it.

"You're getting better, Sammy. As soon as you wake your ass up I'll get you something to eat. I found a bunch of cans of soup in the cupboards. And guess what? They have your favorite, that shit with all the vegetables in it. I remember you'd start sobbing when we only had chicken noodle left. I had to haul you to the grocery store, all sniffling and shit, and get your vegetable kind. I hated seeing you cry. You were pretty damn annoying and...I don't know, I wanted to get you whatever you wanted. You had to live a sucky ass life in motel rooms and could never be a normal kid. I guess I wanted to just try to give you as many normal things as possible. If it was something I could do, you'd be damn sure I'd get it for you, or you know, steal it."

Dean let out a long sigh. "Hell, I still want that normal for you. As normal as you could get. Even though you insisted you wanted me to stick around, that you wanted to travel with me...I still wanted you to have some semblance of normal. You know, go to bars and get wasted, hook up with girls or even us just taking some damn time off between cases to go to places you always wanted to. Or just us fricken hanging out and being brothers. And then this happened and the whole world's fucked up and it's nearly impossible to find anything normal. But at least we got Bobby's place and we help train those kids. You can look after the people there, I know you like being all helpful and that crap. But Sammy...you gotta know that I didn't want any of this shit to happen, even though I don't care what happens to the world, I didn't want this to happen because I know how much it hurts you. If I had known what the hell the demons were doing, you know I would have fought tooth and nail to stop those sons of..."

A loud clap of thunder and burst of lightning filled he night. Dean even jumped a bit and then...

Then the damn kid ran into their room, sobbing, and went right to Sam, shaking his arm.

"Mr. Sam, Mr. Sam..."

Dean couldn't take anymore. He held up his hand and the kid fell backwards, landing on his butt, wide eyes staring at Dean.

Marching over, Dean grabbed the kids arm and hauled him up.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he whispered. "I told you he's hurt and needs his rest! And you just come in here screaming?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Dean..." Aiden's voice wasn't any quieter. "I just..."

"What did I tell you about yelling?!"

Aiden turned his sad eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry. I just was scared of the thunder and I had a really bad nightmare that Mr. Sam died just like Mommy and I don't want anyone else to die..."

Dean sighed and felt himself relax a bit at the mention of his brother's name. The kid was worried about Sam...he of all people could understand that.

"Sam's gonna be fine, kid. He'll be up and at it tomorrow as long as you don't wake him up. Now get back to sleep." Dean pointed at the doorway.

Aiden sniffled. "Can I please stay in here with you guys?"

"No, you have your own couch in there, no one's gonna get you so just go."

Big fat tears started to fall from the kid's face. Just great. "But I'm scared! I miss Mommy and I wasn't with her and then she turned into a Croat monster! She was sick too! If I'm not with Mr. Sam maybe he'll turn into one too!"

Dean rubbed at his eyes and groaned. He was exhausted and pissed but he could feel himself relating to the little brat. How did he used to act with kids when he was human? He remembered that he used to be really good with them, but he wasn't sure how or what made the kids like him so much.

Oh well, there was no use in trying to pretend and act like how he used to be. Dean figured he'd just say whatever came to his mind. The kids at Bobby's seemed to like him fine.

Dean knelt down in front of Aiden who was staring right into Dean's black eyes with curiosity and fascination. Dean knew this kid had to have run-ins with demons that tried to hurt him and his group, so he was surprised that Aiden wasn't trying to run away and didn't seem frightened.

Dean guessed it was just that blind trust kids have in adults, especially when Dean and Sam had saved the kid and were providing him shelter. Aiden could probably tell that Dean was different than those other demons, which was good. He didn't want to be like those assholes.

"Listen, Sam didn't get bitten," Dean lied. "He's gonna be fine, he's just sick...normal sick. Okay? He'll get better quicker if you're not in the room 'cause that way I can take care of him easier." Dean paused to make sure the kid was following his train of thought. "And about your mom, I get it, kid. I do. Me and Sammy lost our mom when we were really little, even younger than you. It's scary as hell. But we kept on going, after our dad died too. Because you know what, they would want us to be brave and they'd be proud of us and that's what your mom would want to."

Aiden was nodding his head at first but then a confused expression took over his small features. "How can you and Mr. Sam be brothers if you're a demon? Was your mommy a human and daddy a demon?"

Dean just gave that nice freakin' speech and that's all the kid had to say?

"No! That's not...it doesn't work like that...I was human when I was born. You know what Hell is right?" At Aiden's frightened nod, Dean continued. "Well Sammy got killed. And I went there, to Hell, in exchange to get him back, so he would be alive again. I turned into a demon there and then I came back to be with my brother again."

"That's why you're not evil right? Because you went there to save Mr. Sam and not 'cause you did bad stuff? Because you love him?"

Two years ago...hell, maybe even a year and a half ago Dean would have avoided the question, thinking a big bad demon shouldn't admit that stuff. That, and the fact that he was embarrassed. But now...why avoid it? He did love Sam and he wasn't ashamed of it. Bobby was right; his love for his brother did make him stronger and smarter than any other demon.

"Yeah, I do. But I'm not any saint, kid. I've done some pretty crappy stuff and I don't really care about a lot of things."

"But you don't hurt nice people, right?"

"No, I don't." Dean could answer that honestly.

"Then you're not evil. You're just grumpy and a little mean."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned to check on his brother. Sam looked the same as before, still sleeping restlessly. He needed to get the kid out of here.

Aiden started tugging on Dean's jeans and the older Winchester turned around and glared at him.

"Can I please, please sleep in here? I can be brave starting tomorrow."

Knowing that Aiden wouldn't shut up and would probably continue to cry in the other room, Dean gave in.

"Fine, but you're not sharing the bed." Dean eyed the couch in the living room and used is powers to lift it up and have it float into the room. "Watch your head, kid."

Aiden ducked and watched with fascinated eyes as the small couch landed quietly on the ground between the dresser and bed. Dean could have just had the kid lay on the floor but that would be pretty shitty. The kid wasn't an animal and Dean wasn't like that.

Besides, he wasn't as annoying as Dean first thought him to be.

Speaking of, Aiden ran up to Dean and hugged his legs tightly. "Thank you, Mr. Dean!" he said quietly and then jumped onto the couch.

Dean rolled his eyes as he shut the door silently with a swipe of his hand. Thank goodness Sam was asleep, if the younger brother had witnessed his interaction with Aiden; Dean would have never heard the end of it.

* * *

"Dean...Dean..."

With a grumble, Dean pushed the hand that was shaking him away. He was fucking tired and wasn't going to get up any time soon.

"Dean...hey...get up, man..." Dean recognized the voice as Sam's this time but his little brother could wait. Sam probably wanted to go search for supplies again, but he could hold up until Dean got a few more hours of sleep.

"Ge'way Sammy...wake me up later."

Sam pushed Dean harder. "Snap out of your sleep trance, dude. I'm...Dean look...I'm okay!"

Sam was okay? What...

Oh shit. The bite, the fever, the possible infection...

Dean sat up straight and jumped out of bed so fast that even with his super demon strength, he nearly got dizzy.

Standing in front of him was Sam, looking pale, sweaty and sick but his eyes were focused and he wasn't snarling and he was smiling and ...he was alive. He was fucking alive and here and Dean didn't lose him.

The feeling of relief was so overwhelming, it was like nothing Dean could remember feeling, so much more powerful than the anger and rage and fear he experienced in Hell.

Sam was staring at him with a befuddled expression. "Well, I'd just thought you'd want to know. Sorry I woke you up, you can go back..."

Dean couldn't take it anymore. He did the only thing that felt right in that moment, the only thing that really made sense to him.

He reached over and grabbed Sam's shoulders, tugging him to his chest quickly and tightly. He held on to his baby brother and didn't even pretend that he was embarrassed for doing this.

Sammy was going to be okay.

* * *

The first thing Sam realized when he woke up was that he felt like shit.

But that was just fine with him. He welcomed this feeling with open arms because it meant he didn't turn into a mindless, murderous Croat. He was still immune.

But the next thing he remembered had his stomach churning even more than it already had been. He remembered words...things that his brother had been saying while Sam had been fading in and out of consciousness.

Dean had obviously thought he had been asleep the entire time. The things Dean had said...how lowly he STILL thought of himself...how he blamed himself for Sam getting bitten, even though it was no one's fault but Sam's.

And then how Dean had opened up and talked about all their memories, even though he said them in his sarcastic-demony way...Sam could hear how much he cared, how worried he was...

Dean had even cried. His demon brother had shed a tear over Sam's condition...Sam didn't think demons were capable of crying. Yet Dean had been so afraid that his little brother would be dead come morning, that he had gotten so emotional to the point of crying.

Sam felt a lump in his throat and he had to stop thinking about Dean's words before he started crying himself. He needed to wake Dean up and let him know he was okay so his poor brother could quit worrying himself sick.

Dean had been passed out on the bed next to Sam. He had to try several times before he was able to successfully wake him up. Knowing his older brother, Sam figured that Dean had tried to stay awake and watch over him. Exhaustion had clearly won out though, and he had fallen asleep while keeping lookout.

Sam expected Dean to clamp his shoulder and smile, all while spewing out his cheesy smart-ass remarks.

But when Dean just stood there, staring at him with his mouth slightly open and his black eyes wide, Sam started to get a little unnerved. He had no idea what was going through his brother's mind.

"Well, I'd just thought you'd want to know." Sam found himself shrugging. "Sorry I woke you up, you can go back..."

Sam didn't get to finish as Dean rushed up to him and practically attacked him with a bone-crushing hug.

What the hell?

It was when Sam felt Dean's arms around him begin to shake that the reality of the situation really began to hit him. He almost died. Dean was almost left in this hell-hole of a world alone.

Sam didn't hesitate any longer and hugged Dean back as tightly as he could. God, he needed to be more careful. Dean needed him.

"Shit Sammy...don't you do that again..." Dean's voice was gruff as he spoke and he squeezed Sam tighter.

Sam felt something wet fall onto his shoulder. He smiled sadly as he realized what had happened. Dean...Dean had let out another tear.

Rather than embarrass Dean by pointing it out, as that was the last thing Dean would want, Sam pretended he hadn't noticed.

"I'm sorry Dean...I'm okay though. The Croats can't turn me." Sam patted Dean on the back twice, trying to comfort Dean in any way that would be allowed.

Dean was still squeezing him so hard that it physically hurt. "Don't apologize damnit; just don't ever scare me like that again." Dean finally pulled away, but kept his hands on Sam's shoulders as he looked him up and down. "You sure you're alright? How are you feeling?"

"Dean, I'm sure. I would have turned by now. I still am feeling pretty sick though, but it's nothing serious."

"It's probably just your body fighting the virus away. You won't turn but the virus is stronger so your body has to put up a bit of a fight to kill it off." Dean squeezed Sam's left shoulder once more and then let both his hands drop to his sides. "You should lie down, now. And I'm gonna mix you another blood mixture. It will probably help you feel better quicker."

Sam held his hands up. "Okay okay, I'll lie down." He sat down on the bed but noticed that there was a couch in the bedroom...Aiden...

"Dean, where's Aiden?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Sammy," Dean said. He walked over to the door but just as he was about to turn the door handle, it flew open and Aiden was standing there with a board game in his hands.

"Mr. Dean! Look what I found!" Aiden held up the box reading "Candy Land". "Can you play with me? Please, please?"

Dean wasn't sure why there was a children's board game in a one bedroom apartment that didn't look like it housed any kids. Maybe they had a niece or nephew that visited. "Not now kid, I'm kind of..."

"Mr. Sammy! You're awake!" Aiden screamed and ran over to the bed. He jumped on it and attacked Sam in a hug. "I knew you'd be okay! Mr. Dean said he'd take care of you and he did!"

Sam chuckled as he hugged Aiden. "Of course I got better. I've got my big brother taking care of me."

"Mr. Sammy, can you play Candy Land now, too?"

Dean saw Sam cringe at the mention of his nickname and he was glad that he wasn't the only one. "Hey enough with that, kid. Sam needs his rest still and you can't call him Sammy."

Aiden looked heartbroken. "Why? You call him Sammy all the time."

Dean sighed loudly but Sam ignored him and turned to face Aiden. "That's because that's Dean's special nickname for me. It's something only he uses and it means a lot to both of us. I don't like it when anyone else calls me that name."

"Okay, it's a special name. I didn't know, sorry, Mr. Sam." Aiden rubbed at his eyes.

"Enough with the _"Mr."_ crap!" Dean growled. "We're not your teachers, kid!"

"But you're supposed to call grown-ups Mr. and Mrs.!"

Sam decided to step in before Dean went nuts. "Yes, but only if you don't know them very well or they ARE your teachers. We're you're friends, Aiden. You don't call friends by titles."

"Yeah, from now on I'm just "Dean" and he's "Sam", alright?"

Aiden nodded eagerly. "Okay. Can we play Candy Land now?"

Sam laughed. "Go on, Dean."

"Shut up, you're awake now, you can play, too."

"Uh-uh. I'm still sick. I need my rest, remember? Your orders..."

Dean grabbed Candy Land from Aiden and glared at Sam. "Fine, stupid bitch." He turned to Aiden. "I'll play, but I'm making something for us to eat first, got it?"

As Aiden followed Dean, Sam caught a question from the little boy before the door closed.

"Dean, is 'stupid bitch' a special name you have for Sam too?"

* * *

Sam woke up to the sound of his brother's loud annoying voice.

"There's no way you beat me, you cheated!"

Stumbling out of bed, Sam opened the door to the living area just in time to see Dean flip over the game board, causing Aiden to crack up in laughter.

Sam shook his head, leaning against the doorframe. "Really, Dean? What's wrong, you're embarrassed that you, a big bad demon, got beaten by a child?"

"Shut your trap!" Dean turned to face Sam, whipping his arm in the younger brother's direction.

The game board shot through the air, and Sam was too weak to even bother attempting to duck.

Aiden laughed louder as the board got Sam in the face.

"You know Dean, I think you're the actual child here." Sam bent down to grab the board. "So mature aren't you? Getting embarrassed and throwing things?"

Sam laughed to himself but as soon as he went to stand up, the world began to spin around him. Dropping the game to the floor, he started to fall.

But just as Sam knew would happen, Dean was at his side, helping him before he toppled to the ground.

"Whoa, hey, hey take it easy." Dean led Sam over to the dining table and placed him in a chair. "Sit your ass down and stay there."

"I'm fine, Dean!" Sam attempted to push his stubborn big brother away. He was dizzy and felt a little nauseous, but he was already feeling a lot better than he had when he first woke up. Dean always had to make a bigger deal about the situation than it actually was.

"Yeah, falling on your ass and swaying on your feet is a normal everyday occurrence. You're perfectly fine." Dean narrowed his black eyes at Sam. "Do I need to remind you what happened to you yesterday?"

Sam rolled his eyes and focused his attention on Aiden, who was picking up the game board. "I know what happened, Dean. And I'm sorry but it just...It happened. I don't want you thinking now that you need to babysit me."

"What are you talking about? I was watching you and you STILL got attacked! I'm not letting you out of my damn sight!"

"I'm not a child, Dean! It wasn't your fault and I needed to be more careful! I need you to trust me on..." Sam stopped when he felt something tug at his jeans.

It was Aiden, staring up at his with sad eyes. "Please don't fight."

"Aiden, it's okay. We're just having a disagreement, we're not fighting..."

"Why don't you want Dean to protect you?"

"I do, Aiden, I just don't want him to always worry about me."

"But Dean's your big brother, right? He's supposed to protect you and worry about you. It's a big brother's job."

Dean slapped his hand down on the table in triumph. "Smart kid right there. Two to one Sammy, I win."

Aiden turned to Dean. "No, you lost Candy Land. Three times."

Dean glared at Aiden, who didn't seem frightened in the slightest. "You need to shut it right now or you're not getting any of this food you hear me?" Dean then turned to Sam. "You fine with mac and cheese Sammy?"

"Yeah, thanks, but I want you to listen to what I was saying, Dean..."

"You need to follow the advice I gave to the kid and shut it. You're not gonna get anywhere with me on this topic, understand?"

Sam set his jaw and fought not to respond. He didn't want Dean treating him like he couldn't fight and take care of himself. Dean was stubborn as hell but Sam could give him a run for his money. This conversation wasn't over and Sam would have to show Dean that he could handle himself out there without needing constant supervision.

Dean mistook Sam's silence for agreement. "Good, now eat everything I make for you and be quiet."

Sam sighed as Dean walked over to the kitchen, his powers allowing the appliances to work.

Aiden walked over and placed a bent Candy Land board on the table. "Will you play with me, Sam? Maybe you're better than Dean."

The innocence of the statement lightened Sam's mood a bit. "Sure, I'm much better than Dean."

* * *

Dean had cooked the boxed macaroni and split it between the three of them, of course giving Sam the biggest portion. They shared some graham crackers and Dean found a box of stale candy that didn't taste so bad when you haven't had the stuff in a year.

Things were going fine, peaceful even. Sam was playing, and winning, Candy Land with Aiden while Dean was doing what he did best, snooping through the apartment and shoving anything he found interesting into their backpacks.

Sam heard the noise first, it was nothing out of the ordinary, could have simply been an animal scurrying around. But in this new world, there was no such thing as being 'too careful'.

Sam stood up in the middle of his turn, causing Aiden to glance up at him in confusion.

"Wait, Sam. It's your turn."

Dean looked up from the classic car magazine he was flipping through while kicked back on the couch. "What is it?"

Sam held a finger to his lips as he looked at Aiden and then walked over to his brother. "I heard something, sounds like it's coming from downstairs in the building," he said quietly.

"An animal?" Dean had the same idea as Sam had. "Or a stray Croat?"

"I don't know. Sounded like a scuffle. It could be people not being quiet enough."

"Okay, then all we gotta do is shut up and they won't find us. And..." Dean closed his eyes, focusing, and the lights flickered off. "We'll be fine."

A moment later there was a loud thud, sounding closer than the noise that proceeded it and a woman's curse followed. A few male voices came after, hushed to the point where Sam couldn't understand their words, but not quiet enough to shield their voices.

"Come on..." Sam grabbed Aiden and started walking over to the bedroom. "Let's stay in here, away from the front door."

"Or I could just kill 'em," Dean whispered.

"Dean!"

"I'm kidding, well mostly."

"I know but you're gonna freak Aiden out."

They got into the bedroom and quietly closed the door. Dean ushered them to all sit in the far corner.

"I'm not gonna kill them unless they start shit. If they're here to steal from us...the Muggers that take from their victims and kill em...I'm not gonna hesitate. That scum doesn't deserve to live anyway."

"I know, but maybe they're not like that. Maybe they're just Scavengers and we hopefully won't have them run into us anyway."

There were several different people in the world now and they were all classified into specific groups... at least according to Dean.

Muggers were the people that stole from you and killed you, not necessarily in that order.

Scavengers were what most people were. Just trying to find enough food and shelter to survive. Not hurting anyone unless they were attacked.

And then there were the hunters. Dean figured anyone that went out of their way to try and clear out the Croats could be considered a hunter in his book. Croats were supernatural creatures after all.

There were other supernatural creatures out there still of course. But both Dean and Sam figured some breeds had died or were dying off. The ones that relied on humans for food had a much smaller source of food and unless they could find an alternative form of food, they wouldn't make it.

And there were demons. Demons that wanted to kill off any humans that they could find. A lot of people ended up being able to fight off getting infected. Many more than Sam assumed. People warned each other, formed safe houses and communities.

That was until the demons showed up and sent waves of Croats into any safe house they could find, killing any that may have lived.

No one was safe.

There were Croats of course. The creatures that were once human and turned into something else either by catching the demonic disease from another infected person, or from the swine flu "vaccine". By the time the government realized that the vaccine had been false all along, it was much too late. Now the world was infected with these mindless creatures, the only thing that existed in their brains was rage. They didn't bite out of hunger but rather of the uncontrollable anger and need to attack.

Dean was still trying to figure out exactly what they were and what made them tick, what the virus did to them and what happened to their minds. Sam on the other hand just wanted to protect as many people as he could from them.

But the thing was, any of these groups could be dangerous. You couldn't trust anyone. That was why they needed to stay quiet and lay low. Hopefully these people would just pass by.

The sounds got louder and Sam held his breath as he watched his brother pull out his pistol.

Sam really hoped that wouldn't have to be used.


	4. Chapter 4

As the footsteps grew louder, Sam felt Aiden wrap his arms around him. He buried his face in Sam's shirt as his little body shook in fear.

Sam was sure they were coming down the hall when a voice spoke up.

"Dude, I smell something!"

"Of course you do! The whole world reeks of rotting flesh and garbage, this building is nothing new!"

"No, really! Smell! It smells...good! Man, it smells like mac and cheese or something. Hell, someone's probably living here!"

"And how are they cooking?"

"I don't know, probably got a generator, let's check it out."

"Shit," Dean scowled, glancing over at Sam. "Watch the kid, I'm gonna watch the door."

"It's coming from over here," one of the voices stated. "This room's closed, what if it's..." Sam heard the doorknob turn. "It's locked! Someone's in here...hey, people! We're survivors! We've got ammo we'd like to trade in exchange for food!"

"We could use some ammo." Sam glanced over at his brother, waiting for his decision on what they should do.

The people began pounding at the door, any moment the Croats would hear and that would cause even more trouble.

Dean bit his lip in anger and then stood up. "Let's just tell 'em to trade and leave. If they give us shit, we beat em up." He turned around to face Aiden. "You stay here and shut up. Don't make a sound, understand me?"

While Aiden nodded his head shakily, Sam rolled his eyes. Scaring Aiden into being quiet may work, but it was a shitty thing to do.

"Just stay quiet okay?" Sam knelt down next to Aiden. "You'll be safe in here and we'll be back soon."

Aiden sniffled and hugged Sam tightly. "Don't die guys. Please."

Sam's heart broke for this poor kid who had seen enough death to last several lifetimes.

"You know I'll be okay. I've got my big brother protecting me. And Dean's a demon so he can't die, okay?"

"Sam, we've got to hurry!" Dean whispered impatiently. The banging was getting louder. With one last look at Aiden, Sam turned and followed his brother to the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Both brothers pulled out their guns and Dean switched his eyes to their human shade.

"Quit banging on the damn door! We're here to trade and that's it! Or if you want to start shit, turn back now because we won't hesitate to shoot."

"It's fine, man, were not here to start any trouble. Just a friendly exchange of goods if possible."

They sounded like they were telling the truth. Sam nodded to his brother and Dean opened the door a crack. He seemed to be studying the people and after a moment he opened it further.

"Don't come in. We'll bring what we've got to the door and exchange here." Dean was glaring daggers at the three strangers. The woman was nearly as tall as Dean and the two men were a bit shorter than Sam. However, they all looked a little intimidated by the two brothers. Sam and Dean were a lot stronger and more muscular than them. Hopefully their tough appearance would scare these people into behaving.

"Okay by me!" a ratty blonde man said, with a beard so long and dirty it was making Sam uncomfortable.

Shaving was one thing that Sam wouldn't let up on. He always kept a dull blade on him and since Dean could get electricity working with his powers, Sam's electric shaver still came in handy.

Even Dean, who seemed to be enjoying having a bit of scruff, never let it get too long. Dean told Sam having the thicker stubble made him look more bad ass and cool. Whatever made him happy. Sam just wished he would trim his hair a little. It wasn't long by any means, but Sam wasn't used to his brother having anything longer than his usual spiky hair cut. His bangs were hanging on his forehead, which they never did before, and the back of Dean's hair was starting to curl a bit down his neck. Sam made a mental note to take his shaver to Dean's hair.

Even the woman in this group looked like she hadn't brushed her hair in weeks. The other man had long hair that was so greasy it was practically shimmering.

Sam forgot how good they actually had it sometimes. He really should stop moping because at least they had food and water and got working electricity thanks to a generator and Dean. He began to feel bad for these people. They should trade with them. Maybe offer up some shampoo while they were at it.

"Sammy, grab some of those stale crackers and shit," Dean ordered him, never dropping his weapon that was aimed at the group.

Sam nodded and walked towards the cupboards. He only made it a few feet however before he felt another wave of dizziness pass over him. Sam paused, leaning his body against the dining table as he tried to recollect himself.

Dean was beside him immediately. In that split second when Dean's attention was shifted, long greasy hair stepped forward.

"You okay, man…"

"I said get back!" Dean bellowed, his eyes flashed black for a split second before he turned to face the man, still staying at Sam's side but waving his gun frantically at the man. "I'll shoot if you don't get your ass back in the hallway!"

The man held his hands up in surrender, beginning to back up before his eye caught something and his expression changed to something unreadable.

"Is that...Candy Land? Shit, either you two have some issues or you got a damn kid here!"

"A kid!" The woman squealed with delight and Sam knew they were screwed.

Kids were highly sought after for various reasons by certain people. If you offered them a kid, they'd pay, and they'd pay big. These people wanted to trade kids, to trade Aiden!

"The kid's gone, gave him away yesterday," Dean lied, his tone rough.

The woman snickered. "And you just leave the game out? Looks like someone was in the middle of a game when we interrupted. You're lying."

"You're not getting him." Dean aimed his gun at the woman. "So leave now or I'll blow your brains out."

"We just want to trade. Well give you out best ammo..."

"I said LEAVE!"

Before Dean could shoot, a blur of activity happened in a few seconds.

The door to the bedroom flew open, Aiden rushed out screaming "No, don't leave!" and ran right up to the woman.

In the blink of an eye she sneered and had Aiden in a choke lock, pressing just enough against his windpipe to immobilize him but still allow him to breathe.

"You shoot me and you're shooting him too. We're taking him. Just put down your gun, let us leave, and we'll all go our separate ways."

"Dean! Sam! Help!" Aiden cried and the woman shook him.

"Shut up you little brat or I'll shoot your buddies!"

Sam didn't know why Aiden had ran out of the room and up to the woman, but he had to save him. You're disgusting! Do you know what those people that you sell the kids to do to them?"

The other man, scraggly beard, shrugged. "There are some people that want them just to take care of them."

"Yeah, very few. Either way, you're stealing children from their caretakers and selling them to people!"

"Hey man, we just need the supplies and kids are worth a fortune."

Dean moved the gun towards bearded man. "And you don't care what happens to them? You're fine knowing that they're probably living through hell with sickos?" There was fire in Dean's eyes. Sam knew he was comparing what would be done to the kids who were sold and what happened to him in Hell. From the stories he heard and from Dean's admittance right then, Sam figured it wasn't far from what actual Hell was like.

"That's not our concern!" Greaseball growled.

"You're sick pieces of shit," Dean hissed. "Some of the worst, and trust me I know of a lot."

"I don't care what you think of us. We've all done stuff in this world we'd have never done before." Suddenly Greaseball raised his arm and pointed his gun at Sam's head. "Now let us go. He's injured and I see you care about that guy. Let us take the kid or I'm gonna..."

He never got to finish.

Sam immediately felt his body being flung up into the air at the same time the gun was knocked out of Greaseball's hand by an invisible force. He could have fought it if he wanted, but he trusted that Dean knew what he was doing. Sure enough, he flew through the air and into the bedroom, Aiden soon following while screaming in fear, his arms flailing. Sam sat up just in time to catch Aiden and see the door shut and lock.

Dean was making sure no one got in to hurt them.

Quickly covering Aiden's ears, Sam let the little boy hug him as he sobbed. Cursing was heard from the other room and the woman's shrieks pierced the air. Sam heard the word "demon" being yelled and then a choking, gurgling sound proceeded it.

There were thuds against the walls, a sickening sound of bone...probably a spine or neck snapping. Suddenly, it went quiet except for ragged, hitched breaths that Sam knew weren't Dean's. There was one still alive...just barely.

"You made one big damn mistake saying you were gonna kill my brother." Dean's voice was as cold as ice. The only time Dean ever sounded that way was when something like this happened. Sam used to worry, but he knew Dean would come around. He'd calm down and come to like he always did, he just needed a little help from Sam.

Sam waited until he heard a sound of blade cutting through skin before he dared to remove his hands from over Aiden's ears.

"Listen Aiden...," Sam began, trying to figure out how he could tell the kid that Dean killed those people without making him afraid of the older brother.

Aiden, however, surprised Sam.

"Did Dean kill those evil people?" His voice shook. "Please, he killed them right? I'm so sorry, don't let them take me away!"

"It's okay Aiden," Sam calmed the young boy. "Dean did get them okay? They're gone. No one's taking you away, you're going to come back to our house."

"I'm sorry I ran to the mean people. The lady sounded just like my mommy and I thought she might be nice like her too, but she was evil."

Sam's heart broke for the poor boy. It was obvious he missed that motherly presence, hopefully the women at Bobby's could help him out. "It's okay Aiden, you didn't know. There is going to be a lot of nice people when we get to our house and there are kids there too."

Aiden's eyes lit up with excitement, the crying and fear forgotten. "Really?"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, really." He paused to look at the closed door. "I'm going to go out there and talk to Dean now. He's kind of worked up and angry about those evil people."

"Because they tried to shoot you," Aiden stated.

"Yeah and because they were gross and mean people, too. Don't come out yet because he needs to cool down a bit and only I can help him with that. I'll let you know when you can come and see him, alright?"

With Aiden's nod, Sam got up and unlocked the door. In the other room he found Dean sitting stiffly on the couch, methodically cleaning his bloody knife with a rag. His face was splattered with a few droplets of blood and there was a healing scratch mark on his cheek, probably from the woman's nails.

Dean was facing the door but he wasn't staring at it. In fact he didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. A far away, dark look took over his features and when Sam tapped into his powers to view Dean's soul, it was sparking with a fierce and violent energy that wasn't usually there.

But it was okay. This happened before. It happened when Dean got really angry and killed people to protect Sam. He knew that he could get Dean to come back. Even in this state Dean would never consider hurting Sam or lashing out, it just wasn't possible.

"Hey Dean, I'm coming over," Sam stated, not wanting to startle his brother. Dean didn't turn around but Sam saw some of the tension release from his shoulders.

Walking over, Sam placed a hand on Dean's shoulder and sat down next to him. He noticed that the dead bodies were gone, but didn't mention it.

"I want to thank you for saving me and Aiden. He's really happy that you got those people. He's scared of course, but not of you at all. He ran out because that woman sounded like his mom." Sam squeezed Dean's shoulder and noticed that his soul had calmed down dramatically simply from Sam's presence and the physical contact. "You okay, Dean?"

Suddenly Dean turned his head to face Sam, his features were back to his normal grouchy, annoying, stupid self. "Of course I'm okay," Dean grumbled and stared daggers at Sam's hand on his shoulder. "Get your girly paws off of me."

Sam grinned and held his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright scary demon, take it easy."

"Shut up or I'll throw you out of the widow like I did with those dead sick freaks."

"Oh I'm sure you will." Sam smirked and motioned for Aiden to come out.

The boy slowly walked towards the brothers and stopped in front of Dean. "You're not really going to throw Sam out the window are you?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Yes, I'm totally going to throw my baby brother out the window to get eaten by Croats." Dean rolled his eyes.

Aiden scrunched his face up in concentration. "You're joking!"

"Wow really, how'd you know?" Dean asked in a fake overly excited tone before his voice fell to a grumble once more. "No shit kid, of course I was joking."

With the admittance that Dean was never going to hurt Sam, Aiden took the few remaining steps and rushed over to Dean, clinging to him tightly.

"Thank you for saving me!"

Dean huffed, rolled his eyes and then patted Aiden's head twice. "Stop getting yourself in near death situations and I won't have to anymore."

Sam had to say, he more than agreed with his brother there.

Hopefully their journey back to Bobby's would be much less eventful.


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm sorry for the delay. With my last month of school and graduation, I was very busy. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you will enjoy this next chapter!_

* * *

They arrived at Bobby's hours later, dirty and tired. Sam felt like he was running on next to nothing, having travelled and dodged Croats while still feeling weak from the bite and infection. Dean had insisted that they find some place else to rest up and leave tomorrow but Sam had turned that idea down. Bobby was waiting, probably worried sick and if they didn't return back today, he'd probably come out himself to try and find them. Sam didn't want to risk Bobby's life because he was a little dizzy.

Luckily the dead bodies Dean threw out the apartment window had distracted the Croats that had been hiding out on the streets near by. They had gathered around the bodies, tearing them apart out of rage and chewing on their limbs and insides. Gross.

It allowed them to make an easy getaway, even with all the noise the fight had caused. They had to take a few breaks because Dean forced Sam to sit down and drink some water and eat stale crackers. Other than that, they dodged some Croats and saw no other signs of human life on the trek back to Bobby's. Aiden didn't even complain about the walking, he just hugged that stuffed dog of his close to his chest and stayed right at Sam's side as Dean led the way a few paces in front of them.

When they arrived on Bobby's doorstep it was sometime around midnight. Jody, a neighbor of Bobby's and the former sheriff of his town (and who Dean was assuming had something going on with Bobby) was on lookout. She stood up from the chair she had been sitting on and held up a hand.

"Hold on boys, I'll get Bobby."

They waited for the typical routine. Jody knocked a rhythm code on the door, they had codes for everything, to signal that Sam and Dean were back.

Thank goodness it was Jody guarding tonight. She was much accepting, if a little wary still, of Dean whereas most of the other adults just couldn't wrap their minds around a demon staying with them. No matter how much Dean helped out or saved lives and told the damn truth, these people were afraid to stand near him, doubted his actions and plans and tried to keep the kids away from him.

The thing with the kids was, only one adult actually had a child, the rest were orphans. They couldn't tell the kids what to do; they didn't listen because the adults weren't their parents. The kids loved Dean and his powers, even with that grumpy attitude and rude remarks. They thought he was cool, that he was like a bad guy who decided to be good instead like you see in the movies. The adult didn't like it but there was nothing they could do.

Even though they were afraid of Dean, they knew he offered great protection and the use of electricity which was nearly impossible to find. They trusted him enough to the point where they knew he wasn't going to kill them.

Except for Freddie, the asshole was in general a mean person….and then he had found out about Dean being a demon...well he just used that as an excuse to bash, insult and blame Dean for nearly everything. The only reason Dean probably hasn't snapped his neck was because he left Sam alone for the most part. But the way Freddie treated his brother made Sam seriously wish that Dean would just off him.

And it just went to figure that Freddie had a younger brother, Vince. The kid was about ten years younger than Freddie and went with whatever his brother said, it was almost as if he were a slave that Freddie could order and push around. He seemed to use his brother to his advantage and to have someone on his side rather than actually caring about the kid. Freddie and his brother were the reason for most of the tension around Dean. If it weren't for their constant nagging about how Dean was evil and going to turn on them, Sam figured a lot of the uncertainty surrounding Dean would vanish.

Speaking of Freddie, Sam couldn't help but notice how he was peering out the front window as Bobby rushed outside to greet the brothers.

"What the hell took you boys so long?" Bobby shouted, concern written all over his face. He didn't even bother splashing Sam with holy water or checking to see if they were shapeshifters. They all spent so much time together that Bobby knew just by looking at the brothers if they were impostors or not.

"We got a little held up, nothing to worry about." Dean shrugged.

Bobby also knew when they were lying straight to his face. "Don't give me that shit boy, something went down, something scared that crap outta ya, I can see it all over your face as you're usually a pain in the ass to read."

Dean huffed and then looked down at Aiden. They had told him to stay quiet about Sam getting hurt. But the boy still didn't know that Sam got bitten. They weren't going to let him know, it would just freak him out and cause him to ask questions and possibly slip up and tell other people.

"We'll tell you Bobby, I swear," Sam said. "But we are all okay. Let's wait until we get Aiden inside. He's a really smart kid, you'll like him."

"Smart and bratty," Dean grumbled.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, just like you." He focused his attention on Aiden and ignored Dean's glare. "Hey there Aiden, I'm Bobby. You'll be staying in my house now and we'll take good care of you."

"Will Sam and Dean stay too?" Aiden's voice was small and it was obvious he was a little nervous around the new stranger.

"Of course they're staying! They're my boys, and they aren't going anywhere, I'm even holding onto this one with his big fat mouth and bad attitude." He pointed his thumb over at a grumbling Dean.

Aiden giggled at Bobby's remark and then smiled sweetly. "Thank you Grandpa Bobby."

Bobby's face changed from kindness to a hilarious rage filled scowl when he looked up at the brothers. "Oh not again! Which one of you idjits told him to call me that?!"

"Don't look at me!" Sam defended himself and laughed when Aiden pointed at Dean.

"I should have known. You're going to get it boy, I don't care if you just got back from an exhausting journey, you're gonna be pretty damn busy these next few days." Bobby got pleasure from seeing Dean scowl and turned to face the young boy once more. "Now why don't you let Sam take you inside and introduce you to everyone and get ya' cleaned up. I'm gonna have a talk with Mister Attitude over here."

Sam shared a knowing look with Dean and then Bobby before grabbing Aiden's hand. "Let's get inside, buddy. Dean will be there in a bit."

As soon as Aiden was out of earshot, Bobby glared at Dean. "Now what the hell happened out there?"

Dean groaned and like usual, didn't want to answer. Bobby didn't need to know this shit. He'd just worry and yell about it.

"Nothing. We just got a bit caught up by some Croats, had to hide out."

"Don't give me that shit Dean! You can try to deny it all you want, but we're not going inside until you tell me just what happened. Something scared you shitless; I can see it written all over your face!"

Dean rolled his eyes as he eyed the house and saw Freddie staring daggers at him. Great, he was going to get berated out here and then harassed inside the house. The only reason why Dean didn't choke the guy to death was because Sam wouldn't like that. Sam wanted to give everyone a chance, so Dean kept his mouth shut about Freddie's behavior towards him.

Turning back towards Bobby, who Dean knew wouldn't leave him alone without an answer, Dean sighed. "What Bobby? What is this one damn thing you're so sure can scare me?"

"Sam!" Bobby declared, taking Dean aback. "That brother of yours is the only thing that can evoke so much emotion out of you. And if you looked that scared, something hurt Sam. What happened to him?"

Well that was pretty surprising. Bobby found out without Dean saying a single word. There was no way out of this. Dean knew Bobby was right although he'd never admit it out loud. And Bobby was worried about Sam too, and he wasn't going to rest until he knew what happened and that Sam was okay.

"It's fine now Bobby. He's okay."

"Well that's just fine and dandy. Of course he's okay or else you'd be flipping out. But what the hell happened?"

Fine. Bobby wanted to know. Dean wouldn't waste any time. "Sam got bit."

The older hunter's face turned ghostly white. "What?"

"He got bit and felt sick and I thought he was...I thought he was fucking turning but he didn't. He woke up and was weak, but he wasn't a damn monster and he's still immune. He's still immune...it isn't as advanced to where it could fight past his blood."

Bobby swallowed. "And this is because of the demon blood right?"

"Yeah."

Bobby looked back at the house before turning back to Dean. "Then you better keep having him drink your blood, you hear me? I never thought I would encourage this, but you can't have him stop if it's what's keeping him safe from this damn virus."

"I never intended to stop, you think I'm stupid?" Dean hissed.

"Of course not! I'm just making sure you know how I feel. If anything can keep him safe..."

"I should have been enough!" Dean interrupted, his voice filled with self-hatred. "I should have got to him before that Croat did!"

Bobby's eyes turned angry as he reached up and smacked Dean over the head. "Don't you go spouting that crap! I know you would have if there was anything you could have done! And Sam would never have put himself in the position to get bitten if there wasn't a reason."

"He ran towards the Croat to save the kid."

"Well there you go genius. Sam would have run towards no matter what. He wants to save lives. But now he's aware he can't be that stupid and run in without you. Lives will have to be lost sometimes at the risk of other's safety and Sam needs to see that. Don't you dare go beating yourself up about this, do you have any idea how that will make Sam feel if you continue?"

"But Bobby..."

"Enough! We're putting the group in too much danger being out here. Let's go inside and you can check up on your brother."

* * *

Sam heard Dean and Bobby finally come in and he knew what they had to have been talking about that entire time. Dean told Bobby what had happened and Sam knew that eventually, Bobby would chew his ass out for being as stupid as to run into a Croat.

But in the end, he had lived, left only with a bite wound that would turn into a strange scar and an innocent child was saved. There was so much death in the world that Sam felt like he was drowning in it sometimes, unable to stop it and help people. But this time...this time he made a difference, even if it was small, one more person was alive and had the chance to fight to survive.

Dropping the toy he had been playing with Aiden, Sam told the boy he would be back later and to play with his new friends. There were two girls around his age and a boy a few years older as well as a young boy that couldn't have been older than three. But age didn't matter with these kids, not anymore. They just wanted the chance to bond and escape into their imaginary worlds because anything was better than the real one outside.

Aiden tugged on Sam's jeans as soon as he stood up. "Can you ask Dean to come in and play?"

Sam highly doubted Dean would agree to that, but he smiled anyway. "I'll try and see if he wants to." He loved that the kids could forget that Dean was a demon and see him as the person he was underneath.

Speaking of the way that people treat Dean...as Sam was walking out of the basement that now served as the kids' room, he heard Freddie's leering voice.

"What the hell took you so long demon? Something we should know about?"

"Back the fuck off, Freddie. Nothing of what we did concerns you."

"What are you going to do about it? Kill me? In front of all these people? I bet that's what you did when you were out there...killed some people..."

Sam had not meant to snoop in the conversation, but he simply couldn't take anymore. He walked up the remainder of the stairs.

"Hey!" He said, his voice booming, "You have a problem with my brother, Freddie?"

Freddie flinched at Sam's tone and at least backed away from Dean. "Just making sure he wasn't up to no good, trip took longer than..."

"The trip took longer because we found a little boy and had to go slower for him and take care of him. Did that ever occur to you?"

"I was just..."

"Dean has better things to do when we go out rather than killing random people for no god damned reason, as you're accusing him. Things like bringing back supplies and food for the people here, like your sorry ass."

Freddie simply glared at Sam, mouth opening but then shutting, not finding the words for a comeback.

"That's what I thought. Now stop worrying about what MY brother is up to and go take care of your own." Sam watched as Freddie turned and stormed out to the backyard, where the rest of the group's makeshift cabins and tents were set up.

Sam turned to face his brother who was looking at him with wide eyes and a bit of amusement. Sam didn't find any of this funny, though.

"Is he threatening you or anything Dean?" Freddie had been giving Dean trouble since day one. But most of the people they rescued didn't' trust or like Dean at first. Some still didn't, but none of them had the guts to approach him and demand where he went. Sam just hoped it was Freddie trying to appear brave to pump his ego.

Dean sighed. "Nah, he's just an annoying ass. Kind of funny to mess with him."

"Well, if he is, you just tell me and I'll kick him out. Because I won't stand for that and neither will Bobby. No one gets to treat you like that; I don't care if it means throwing out a survivor into danger."

"You think I wouldn't be able to handle him? He's all talk and no bite anyway, and he's new. He'll get used to me." Dean smirked, but something in his gaze told Sam otherwise.

He wanted to believe Dean, but he had this nagging feeling that they had been too eager to save as many people as possible and had let the wrong person into their group.

* * *

Dean woke up rather early, or at least what would be considered early for him. After that asshole Freddie had attacked him yet again and Sam hearing it this time...it had bothered him all night. He didn't want Sam to know about that. His brother didn't deserve to have to worry about that.

Hopefully that asshole would leave him alone now though now that he knew Sam was on to him. Dean really wanted the guy gone, not only was he an ass but Bobby's place was getting overcrowded. The area they fenced off that served as Bobby's backyard and shelter for the majority of the survivors was packed. The house was too small and they just didn't have the room or amenities to help so many people.

But Bobby wouldn't leave his house. He claimed it was because of the amount of supernatural lore and weapons he owned, but Dean figured he was just attached to the place. He wished Bobby would learn that you couldn't get attached to anything in this world.

And then there was Sam who wouldn't turn down anyone in need, which wouldn't be so much of a damn problem if they were settled in a better place.

Speaking of Sam, Dean turned to check on his brother to see how he was doing. Sam was, as expected, passed out and lightly snoring. Good. Kid deserved all the rest he could get.

After taking a shower and changing into some clothes he had nagged at a mall a few weeks ago, Dean headed downstairs carefully. He didn't like interacting with other people, mostly because they acted like he was a contagious monster, after all he did for these assholes. Sure, Dean didn't exactly communicate with people very well anymore but they didn't have to avoid or flinch at him so obviously.

Whatever, they didn't matter anyway. Most of these people irritated Dean to no end anyway.

As Dean turned to head into the kitchen, the person that loved to shower him with underserved kindness was occupying the room. A grinning Marcy greeted him, holding a plate of pancakes.

"Why hello there Dean! Thanks to the pancake mix you brought yesterday, I have a delicious breakfast waiting for you!"

Dean rolled his eyes but he had learned to hold back the retort that wanted to flow from his lips automatically, which simply was a factor of being a demon. There was no reason to be rude to Marcy when she was actually being genuinely kind to him. Dean may be awkward and huff and groan during conversations with people, but he wasn't cruel to those that wanted to help him. Dean had learned to chill his erratic behavior in this past year and to take out his pent up anger on those that actually deserved it. Marcy wasn't one of those people.

She was also one hell of a cook as well. She did well with the scarce supplies that they had. This time they had actual pancake mix...and it looked like Marcy had put fresh blueberries into the mix as well.

"Gimme that," Dean said as he snatched the plate from her hands but he couldn't help but at least grin as he did so. He wasn't going to be a complete ass to this lady, even if she was talking to him like he was a child and not a demon with deadly powers. "Thanks," he ended up mumbling around his first mouthful of food.

"See!" Marcy beamed. "I knew there were manners in there somewhere! You're welcome sweetie."

The "sweetie" shit got on his nerves. Not even after she learned that Dean was a demon did she stop with that. Although she had been a bit freaked out at first, she claimed that "she could see that there was good in him".

But hey, she did accept him and obviously wasn't afraid or repulsed by him. Dean couldn't deny that he enjoyed being treated like an actual person and not a diseased monster by someone other than Bobby and of course, Sam. He had to admit that she wasn't as irritating as he had originally thought her to be a year ago.

Plus, she did make _really_ good food.

"Where's your brother Dean? He's going to miss breakfast," Marcy piped up yet again.

Rolling his eyes once more, Dean swallowed loudly. "He won't miss it because I'm gonna save some for him. And he's still sleeping, probably will be for a while."

Marcy smiled and sat down next to him. Uh oh, he hoped she wasn't about to go off on one of her rambling stories. "Now Dean...how do you feel about this Freddie character?"

What? Now this had Dean intrigued. Was even Marcy noticing that something was odd about the asshole?

"I think he's an ass that hates me just 'cause I'm a demon and doesn't care what good I do, he'll always be out to get me."

"Yes...well..." Marcy looked nervous. She glanced out the window and then looked back at Dean. "I want you to stay away from him."

"I'm not gonna kill him, so chill Marcy."

"I'm not worried about you harming him, Dean. I know that you don't go out to cause pain to other people...but him..." Marcy shook her head. "I'm worried about what he will do to you, he seems so cruel...I see the way he treats his brother compared to all the love you show Sam...and then I saw him practicing shooting this morning."

"Everyone practices."

"I know but the look in his eyes...it's as if he's out to kill, very determined."

Dean shook his head. "He can be determined all he wants, shooting me isn't gonna kill me, no matter where he shoots or how many bullets he puts into me."

"But...what about the magic gun?" Marcy whispered.

"You mean the Colt?" Marcy was one of the few people that knew about the Colt and what it did. Early into the Croat invasion there had been a few demons that had tried to attack Bobby's place and Sam had killed one with the Colt, thus prompting an explanation to Marcy. "I told you never to mention it! And it's safe, he's not gonna get his hands on it and he doesn't know about it anyway."

Luckily, Sam chose that moment to stumble into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and effectively stopping the conversation that had been taking place.

"Sammy, eat some of this shit." Dean lifted up the plate stacked with pancakes on the counter by using his powers.

Sam raised an eyebrow at the floating pancakes before trudging over and grabbing it out of thin air. "Yeah, good morning to you too. What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing important." Dean didn't feel like he was lying either. "Did you get enough sleep? You look like crap."

Sam gave Dean a look that clearly read "you think? I just got bitten by a Croat!" and huffed. "Well thank you. Typical morning with Dean, get insulted and listen to him bitch while he uses his powers for his own amusement."

Dean grinned in response. "And you wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yeah, yeah..." Sam mumbled, sitting down across from Dean and on the other side of Marcy. Speaking of Marcy...she was looking back and forth between the brothers with a stupid smile on her face. Dean often wondered what the hell she was thinking when she did that, but maybe it was a lot more simple and obvious than he knew. He wasn't very good at reading human emotions as it was.

Much to Dean's relief, Marcy stood up. "I'm going to go check on the kids; I'll see you boys later."

Dean huffed as she walked away. "I can't believe she actually willingly sits alone in the kitchen with me. What's up with that?"

Sam elbowed him in the side, hard. "She's a nice lady; she sees that you're a good man. Don't question it and just be happy that she doesn't only see you as a demon and nothing else. It also helps that you're not being an ass to her. A few years ago you would have."

"I'm always an ass," Dean scoffed. "I just choose not to show it all the time."

"Well, that is true." Sam rolled his eyes and took another bite of his pancakes.

From outside, Dean could hear Aiden's voice, talking to someone. Might as well find out what the brat was up to. Marcy hadn't gone outside, but rather to the kid's room where most of them probably were. Knowing Aiden, he was probably getting into all sorts of trouble outside.

"I'm gonna head outside," Dean announced as he stood up.

"Okay, I'll be out in a bit, I'm going to talk to Bobby first, I think he's in his room."

"Yeah, you do that. He's pretty pissed at you for letting you-know-what happen."

"That's what I was meaning to do." Sam sighed.

Dean didn't envy his brother. "Good luck with that, he's gonna chew your ass out." He snuck outside before Sam could ask if Dean could join him in talking to Bobby.

Dean hardly got any time to take in the warm weather and shining sun before he felt something run into his legs. Irritated, he looked down to see Aiden clutching at his legs in a hug.

"Dean!" The young boy squealed happily and looked up at the demon. "I was looking for you and Sam!"

Dean had to fight to not pry Aiden off of him. "Sammy's still eating and then he's talking with Bobby. He'll be out later."

Dean's patience was actually rewarded as Aiden let go of Dean on his own. "Okay, can you teach me out to shoot guns?"

Dean glanced over to where people were on shooting practice, something Dean himself has set up months ago. They shot with BB guns in order to conserve ammo and also with crossbows.

Sam would probably give him a shit-fit for teaching Aiden how to shoot because of his age. But they had a small BB pistol and the kid needed to learn to be safe, just like everyone else. His brother would get over it.

"Yeah, sure. Come on."

Aiden, obviously surprised by Dean's acceptance, stood in shock for a moment but quickly ran to follow Dean. "Will I be able to kill the Croats soon?"

"Probably not."

"Why?"

"Because it's not easy to learn to shoot a gun." Dean sighed, his patience wearing thin already and stopped in from of and open stuffed target they had created. "Okay, now listen and shut up. To kill a Croat, you need to either shoot or stab them in the head or cut off their head."

"To make them headless? I read a story about the headless horseman once."

Dean looked down at the kid and tried not to smirk. "Uh, yeah. Sure, like that. Except once their head is off, they're dead. They don't go galloping around on horses, alright?"

Aiden nodded, watching as Dean unlocked the gun chest and rooted around in it.

"Besides, kid, you're not strong enough to decapitate a fricken' Croat. Your only chance would be shooting it right in the brain." Dean found the gun he was looking for, a small one with little recoil, and then shut and locked the chest again. "Now pay attention."

"Okay!" Aiden eyed the gun and while his eyes glistened with excitement, he also looked frightened at the same time.

This actually caused Dean to chuckle, and he didn't honestly laugh much unless he was with Sam, of course. But damn, that look on Aiden's face...he couldn't help it.

"There's nothing to be freaked out about as long as you pay attention. So relax kid. As long as you're safe and know what you're doing, no one gets hurt." Dean bent down and motioned for Aiden to come up to him.

The young boy nodded and stepped closer to Dean, eyes locked on the gun.

"Now I'm gonna teach you how to do this just like I taught Sammy. And he's damn good with a gun so as long as you listen and do exactly what I say, and don't mess something up like usual, you're gonna do fine. First thing's first..."

* * *

About an hour later and Dean had to say Aiden wasn't half bad. He had listened well, hadn't shot anyone and had finally gotten the hang of aiming.

It was all due to Dean's amazing teaching skills.

And then of course, Sam had to walk on over. Just great, after all of this hard and awesome work he'd just done, he was about to get bitched at.

"Sam!" Aiden yelped with glee but then paused as he realized the gun was still in his hand. He looked up at Dean. "Put it down first." He repeated one of Dean's number one rules - if you're not using the gun, put it down before doing anything else.

Dean nodded curtly and watched as Aiden handed the gun to him, making sure he kept his finger off the trigger, just as the older brother had told him. He then turned and bolted towards Sam.

The younger brother bent down, laughing when Aiden ran into his arms.

"Come out to bitch at me?" Dean inquired.

Sam sent a confused glance Dean's way. "What? I think I've had enough bitching from Bobby."

"Did he drill it into you that you don't go running up to a Croat, no matter if it's to save someone or anything?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get it. I won't do it again."

"And you're honestly not going to throw a fit that I'm teaching Aiden how to shoot?"

Sam raised his eyebrows and let go of Aiden. "That's what you thought I was going to bitch at you about? I understand that he needs to learn. And Dean...if there's anyone I trust to teach him how to work a gun, it's you."

Dean smirked proudly. "Well, I am the expert and best shot around."

"Yeah, and you've got the biggest head too." The younger Winchester stood up. "How's he doing?"

"How 'bout you watch and see?" Dean handed the BB gun over to Aiden again. "Now don't screw up or Sam's gonna think I can't teach you."

Luckily, Aiden managed to hit the dummy most of his shots. Once the round was up, Sam smiled brightly while clapping his hands.

"That was awesome Aiden!" He held up his hand and the boy handed his gun to Dean once more as he ran over to give Sam a high five. "Bobby wanted some help organizing his books, you want to help? After, Marcy will have a treat for us."

Aiden nodded, it was obvious he liked feeling useful.

Sam turned to Dean. "You want to come?"

"Sort through books and shit? What do you think?" At Sam's eye roll and huff, Dean grinned. "Nope, I'm gonna allow myself some practice. Not that I need it, of course. But I do want to try out that Crossbow we found the other week some more."

"Alright, knock yourself out. But come inside in an hour or so or you'll miss the desert."

"Like I'd miss that. I'll just teach Aiden how to put the gun away then I'll send him after you."

Sam nodded before he turned to retreat to the house. As Dean knelt down and began to explain the process of properly and safely putting the weapon away, a shadow fell over them.

Dean looked up to see Freddie towering over them.

Fucking asshole. What did he want to start now?

"Look what we have now. The demon is now corrupting children!"

The people who had been leaving dean Dean alone, although keeping their distance from him, now turned to see what the commotion was about.

Dean let out a harsh laugh. "Oh yeah, I'm so evil, that's why I'm teaching the kid how to protect himself. Get away, asshole."

Freddie sneered. "Your You're showing kids how to kill like you, poor innocent kids!"

"There's no such thing as innocent anymore, and by teaching him how to shoot, it's keeping him alive."

"Yeah, right. I'm not stupid, you're brainwashing them young to turn into your followers, just like you did with that brother of yours."

Dean couldn't help it; he jumped up and shoved at Freddie. "Don't you dare talk about my brother or I swear I'll..."

Freddie smirked. "Kill me?" He gestured to the people standing outside. "See! There you go! He's just like any other demon, filled with rage and violence, it's just a little buried, but it will come out, just like it did now!"

"Just leave him alone Freddie," one of the women spoke up, surprising Dean. "He could kill you with the snap of his fingers and he hasn't done so yet. And with you constantly nagging at him, that's saying a lot."

Freddie, of course, snarled at her. "You people are arrogant; you're going to become one of his many victims! Don't turn a blind eye to his demonic ways!"

A teenage boy chuckled. "You're the one who's acting demonic. At least dean Dean leaves us alone and doesn't shout like a lunatic."

Dean wanted to laugh, but that was before he saw that Freddie's face turned bright red. Aiden walked over to him in that moment and pushed at him. "Leave Dean alone, you mean man!"

Freddie grabbed Aiden's arm harshly and threw him to the ground. "Shut up you stupid brat!"

People starting rushing over frantically. They were shocked by this behavior but Dean wasn't. He knew it was a matter of time before this freak snapped. He used his powers to help Aiden, who was fine other than being scared, to his feet. The little boy ran over to hug him while crying.

"Look who's the one that's actually hurt children, not me. That act just resulted in you getting kicked out once everyone tells Bobby." Dean grinned wickedly. "Congratulations asshat."

Turning, he placed a hand on Aiden's back to guide him towards the house. He saw Sam rushing out, and then heard him scream his name in horror.

Dean didn't have time to turn around as he felt a bullet enter the back of his head. He fell to the ground, his vision going black. The last thing he heard were screams all around him, his brother's standing out among all the rest, and then a snarling voice…

"Might as well take you out before I leave, then."


	6. Chapter 6

"Dean!" The moment Sam saw his brother go down, he knew something was wrong. Dean's face had gone blank, his body going unconscious as he fell. Normally, he'd have grimaced and fought to get up, willing his body to heal itself.

The bullet shouldn't have knocked him out, and while Sam knew Dean wasn't dead, wasn't going to die, and Freddie didn't have the Colt, he knew that the bastard had something that was poisonous to Dean.

Which meant they were probably iron bullets. How he got one of Bobby's guns, Sam didn't know or care. All that mattered was getting to Dean, finding out what was wrong, and helping him.

He didn't even have to push through anyone, as all the people immediately moved out of his way, giving him a clear path to Dean. Aiden was screaming and crying, luckily being held back by Jody, who rushed over when she heard the commotion. Sam still didn't notice Bobby, but then again, he wasn't looking for the older man either.

Even though it only took Sam a few seconds to get over to his brother, it felt like that sprint took a lifetime. He skidded to his knees next to Dean's lifeless body, whose black eyes, while they were staring into nothing, at least further proved that Dean was still in there.

"Dean...," Sam choked out. He grabbed his brother's head only for it to fall limply to the left.

A harsh laugh broke the silence and cut through the loud pounding of Sam's heart. He looked up to see Freddie standing in front of them, his head tilted back as he continued to hideously laugh.

"You're all so pathetic, especially you!" the man barked out. "Thinking that this demon is still your brother. I'd feel bad for you, if you weren't so dense and ignored his everyday demonic behavior. It's so obvious he's not human and you don't even seem to care."

Sam didn't want to respond, he shouldn't, but he just couldn't help it. This man and his lies had sent Sam to his boiling point. "That's because I don't, you son-of-a-bitch! All you choose to see is his black eyes and you ignore everything else about him!"

"And that's exactly how you get killed, by trusting these monsters." Freddie turned around to face the rest of the survivors who were standing around in silent shock. "I just saved all of you! It was a matter of time before he either snapped or put his evil plan into motion. And not one of you can thank me for killing the bastard?"

It hit Sam just then that Freddie actually thought he had succeeded in killing Dean. The asshole had been trying to actually kill his brother. That thought sent Sam's emotions from devastated to furious in a matter of seconds.

Sam was up and lunging toward the other man before he could bother to think himself out of the decision. He hardly heard the people around him screaming, he just focused on sending his fist at Freddie's face, again and again.

This man, if he had only researched a bit better and had searched Bobby's house more thoroughly, could have found the Colt or the knife. He could have killed Dean. He had wanted to kill Dean, someone who hadn't done anything to him except provide food and safety.

Sam vaguely felt someone tugging at him and heard Bobby's voice calling out to him. He didn't care though, all that mattered was the next punch, he didn't notice the pain in his hand, didn't care if his fingers were broken...

Bobby tugged harder, enough to get Sam's attention. "He's NOT worth it boy! You don't want to have his blood on your hands."

Sam stopped punching for a moment, but kept Freddie trapped. "He wanted to kill Dean! He tried to kill my brother, Bobby! He deserves to die!"

"I know that, but not by your hands. How do you think Dean would feel knowing that you killed someone? You know he'd blame himself. Neither of you deserve having that death on your minds. Freddie deserves to die slowly out on his own, getting eaten by one of those things! Let it go Sam."

Sam looked down at the still-snickering Freddie, wanting nothing else than to make him pay for what he had done. But Sam wasn't any monster, he wasn't a killer, and neither was Dean. Still, Sam found it difficult to let this man go.

"That's it, Sam. Go take care of your brother now. He needs you."

Those words finally captured Sam's full attention. He looked around him, seeing the shocked and horrified faces around him. One thing they all had in common was the disgust they directed toward Freddie. They all saw clearly what a monster Freddie was. It filled Sam with relief that the survivors could make judgment based on the actions of a person and not if they were human or not.

"Sammy..."

That was Dean's voice.

Finally turning his neck to look behind him, Sam saw his brother struggling to get up. He didn't waste any more time as he got up and rushed toward Dean, Freddie already long forgotten.

* * *

Dean struggled to come back to consciousness. He remembered the bullet entering his brain, the burn of poison.

An iron bullet, of course, just his luck.

He also remembered Sam's scream and knew that his brother was most likely freaking out. He would have loved to float in unconsciousness for a while longer, but not while Sammy needed him.

So he pushed past the poison burn, he felt his brain already starting to heal itself, but it was having difficulty pushing out the poison bullet. Oh well, it would come out eventually, right? He just hoped he wouldn't have a permanent bullet-shaped scar on the back of his head like he did on his wrists from the handcuffs. Oh well, his hair would cover it anyway.

Dean opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did. He couldn't see anything but blackness. He blinked just to be sure.

Oh great, he was blind. That explained why his vision went black before he passed out. He wasn't sure if it was because the bullet hit something in his brain that caused his vision to be destroyed, or if it was because of the iron travelling around his head. Either way, it didn't matter now; he just had to find out where Sam was.

His hearing seemed just fine, and he recognized the sound of Aiden crying and people's panicked voices. He concentrated harder and finally heard Bobby. From the tone of his voice, he was worried, and he was addressing Sam.

Dean gathered that Sam was attacking Freddie because of what he did to him. When Sam finally spoke, Dean realized his assumptions had been true. Part of him felt proud of Sam, and even happy that he had someone that would avenge him, someone that was so upset over Freddie trying to kill him. But deep down, the part of Dean that Hell didn't change, or didn't change much, knew that Sam couldn't kill. Killing would change a person, a human, especially Sammy. It would eat the poor kid up. Dean didn't want Sam to unless it was absolutely necessary. And this wasn't one of those times.

He decided that he had to try his voice. He called out his brother's name and while he sounded a little hoarse, his voice worked just fine.

And it also served its purpose; Sam was by his side in an instant. He knew this even before his brother began talking. Not only could Dean sense Sam because of the demon blood in him, but Dean just knew when his brother was near. He always had, even when he was human.

"Dean, oh shit. Are you okay? Can you get up? It was iron, oh god can you..."

"Shut your trap." He could sense that Sam was right to his left and he batted his hand out, happy when he hit Sam right in the face. "I'm fine, I'll be okay."

"Does it hurt?" From the tone of Sam's pained voice, Dean would have assumed he was the one in excruciating pain.

"Hell yeah it hurts. Nothing I won't be able to deal with. Had a lot worse. I'm also blind right now but..."

"What?" Sam's voice rose an octave and Dean thought of a squeaking mouse. "What the hell Dean?! How is that possible? Is your sight going to come back?"

Dean huffed; the questions were already tiring him out. "Well geeze, Sammy, maybe it's because I just got shot in the brain with a poison iron bullet."

"Don't be a smart ass to me!" Sam's voice was still pained but there was a hint of laughter in it.

"I'm sure it will come back soon, alright?" Dean heard someone approaching and tensed, wanting to unleash his powers toward the person in case it was Freddie or someone else wanting to start up trouble.

Sam seemed to notice this. "It's only Marcy, don't worry."

"Worry? Me? Yeah, right." He had been worried though, not about someone attacking him again, but rather his little brother while he wasn't at full strength.

"Dean! Oh my gosh! Hurry, let's get you away from this asshole of a man and get you taken care of." Dean couldn't help but laugh at Marcy swearing. The woman never did, but the way she just said the word made it sound like she swore on a daily basis.

Marcy was pissed off. Because he had gotten shot. Dean felt oddly happy about that.

As Marcy and Sam helped him up, Dean heard a loud gasp from his brother and then a loud crack, as if someone had just gotten punched in the face.

"Don't you even think about it!" Bobby's angry voice was seething.

They started back towards the house, Dean guessed, but he was curious. "What the hell just happened?"

"Freddie aimed the gun at you again." Sam's voice was clipped. "He was in shock that you were still alive and Bobby knocked him out, probably broke his cheekbone."

"Way to go old man." Dean chuckled.

"You're lucky we're out of his earshot or he would have shot you too." The smile was back in Sam's voice. Good. Dean hadn't liked the dark tone of it while he had been fighting Freddie. He wanted to keep as much of Sam's innocence as possible, even in this new world. It was something Dean himself lacked completely, but he liked being around it. It was probably weird, for a demon, but unlike a year ago, he couldn't seem to care.

When they got to the stairs, Sam warned him. Dean ended up tripping twice.

"Son of a bitch, it shouldn't be this hard to walk up damn steps without being able to see."

"You're also shot in the brain with poison Dean; I think you have a good excuse."

"You can't see?" Marcy gasped. "Is this permanent...oh my...Dean..."

"I really doubt it. Now can you guys help me quicker so I can lie down?" Dean didn't want to flat-out admit how much pain he was in. He knew that Sam would take the hint and realize what he truly meant.

When he was finally lying down, all he wanted to do was pass out again. He couldn't, though. He needed to wait for Bobby to come and try to figure out what was causing the blindness and if there was anything permanent. But mostly, he needed to stay awake for Sam.

"Hey." Dean turned his head in the direction in which he could sense Sam was standing. "I think Marcy deserves to give me an extra slice of pie after what I've been through, what do you think?"

Sam let out a laugh that sounded half like a sob, Dean started to think that his brother was taking this harder than he assumed.

He heard Marcy say something that sounded like "Oh, Sam", and Dean figured she was putting her arms around him. Okay, good. If it made Sam feel better and stop his senseless crying, then Dean was all for her gooey-motherliness.

"Sammy, I'm gonna be fine," he groaned. "Just give it some time. Bobby will figure it all out."

"And what if he can't? Bobby doesn't know everything, Dean."

"Then I'll make do. I'll still have my powers and can sense demons and Croats." Since the Croatoan Virus was a demonic one, Dean could sense Croats with his powers much like he could other demons. Sam didn't have this advantage with his own powers though, the amount of demon blood inside him and that he consumed wasn't enough to do so.

"You can go into another body," Sam said quietly. "It would be weird, but I wouldn't mind, as long as there was no one else in there."

Dean pushed himself up as best as he could and glared in the direction of Sam, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his head. "I will never leave my body. I don't care if I got my limbs torn off. This right here, is MINE. You have no idea how uncomfortable it is to be inside a body that isn't meant for you."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Dean heard Sam rush over to the bed and he felt Sam's hands try to push him back down on the bed. "I'm sorry, it was stupid. Just lie back down, please Dean."

Dean wanted to push Sam away with his powers but he felt himself unable to do so. Not because he didn't have the strength, but because he couldn't do it when Sam sounded so damn sad.

"Okay fine, but Bobby better get his ass up here quick. My head is killing me."

Bobby finally arrived fifteen minutes later and Sam turned to face him, not getting up in fear of leaving Dean's side if his brother needed him.

"Please tell me you got rid of that asshole," Sam said, anger creeping into his voice.

"Of course I did," Bobby abounded a bit offended. "He's gone. Made sure he left. I told his brother he could stay, but he followed him after Freddie threatened him. Somethin's wrong with that man."

"Geeze, you think?" Dean grunted from the bed. Bobby turned to look at him with sympathy.

"We'll talk about him later. Right now, we have to get you fixed up Dean. He somehow got my iron bullets, is it still stuck in your head?"

"Oh yeah, I have one hell of a lovely headache to go with it."

Bobby looked nearly sick at the thought. "We've got to get that out. Try and find something that will help bring it out, or kill the toxicity." He walked up to Dean, on the other side of Sam.

"Please tell me you have an idea on how to help him. It's blinded him Bobby."

This was news to the older man. "Shit. Well, there might be something that gives temporary immunity to demons from their weaknesses, it's a stretch though. Even if there is, the chance we have the ingredients…" He gently grabbed Dean's head and swore, noticing something.

"What? What is it?" Sam asked anxiously, leaning over Dean to try and see what Bobby was referring to.

Sam saw it right away. The bullet wound on the back of Dean's head was beginning to heal…with the bullet still trapped inside his brain somewhere.

"Oh my god…Bobby we have to…"

"I'm on it." Bobby was already pulling open the first-aid kit he brought with him.

"What?" Dean was getting antsy, squirming on the bed, black eyes looking all around the room as if he were lost. "What's going on?"

"Just gotta make sure that hole in the back of your head doesn't close up, boy." Bobby tried to keep his tone light, but it was obvious how nervous he looked. Luckily, Dean couldn't see this. "Marcy, can you come over here and help?"

"I'll help," Sam went to stand up, but as Marcy walked by, she shoved him down.

"No, nope. You stay right by your brother's side and comfort him."

"I don't need any comforting!"

Marcy went on as if no one spoke and continued to focus on Sam. "You just stay right there. Contrary to what people may think about me, I'm not a squeamish gal. Bring on the blood and guts."

"And brain matter…" Dean muttered.

"Doesn't scare me," Marcy chirped right back.

Bobby grabbed a pair of something that looked like pliers, this was a hunter's first aid-kit after all, and Sam looked away when Bobby used it to ply open Dean's wound. The older brother hissed, but other than that, didn't show much sign of discomfort.

Dean kept taking everything the world was throwing at him, and kept right on going. He didn't complain, except for the stupid little things, didn't ask why all this shit kept happening to him. Sam admired this so much about his brother. He didn't understand how Dean did it. Sam himself wanted to tear someone, namely Freddie, apart, when thinking of all the pain Dean went through in his life.

But Dean just seemed happy to be alive, well…undead…kind of. He never seemed to sit down and ponder and mope over the countless negative events that came one after the other for him. Nope, he just continued to look over Sam, worry about Sam, care about Sam, and annoy Sam to death.

"Sam," Dean suddenly said, his voice tightly controlled.

"Yeah," Sam immediately piped up. "I'm right here. You okay?"

Dean huffed. "I know you're right there, stupid bitch. Just keep talking. You're usually excellent at it, so why shut up now?"

Oh, Dean wanted a distraction, he wanted Sam to talk to him, to keep his mind occupied through whatever pain he was about to go through. Since Dean couldn't see him, he needed to hear his voice.

Sam could do that.

"Bobby's pulling out a book," Sam told his brother. He didn't recognize the old leather book the older hunter held. There was a devil's trap on the cover, which obviously meant it was related to demons.

"Thanks for the boring visual," Dean groaned. "How 'bout you pull out one of my magazines from under my bed and explain those visuals to me." He smirked wickedly this time.

"Oh god, just because you want Sam to talk to you, does not mean you have to keep yapping." Bobby rolled his eyes, but his mouth was still set in a thin line as he flipped through the pages until he got to one with a fold in the corner. "This is a book created by a hunter nearly a hundred years ago."

"Okay?" Dean seemed impatient.

"It's a really old thing I almost forgot I owned," Bobby answered. "This hunter in the early wanted to see what made demons tick, find out more about their weaknesses. He ended up capturing some and torturing them in a bunch of different ways."

"I don't see how this is meant to help me unless you're deciding to turn on me," Dean grumbled.

"If you'd let me finish, you'd understand, idjit." Bobby sighed and sent Sam a look that read 'my god I don't know how you deal with him 24/7'. Sam smirked in response. That was Dean for you.

"Anyway," Bobby continued on. "He tortured them and marked down the effects on the demon every time, including how they healed."

"Now you're getting somewhere."

Bobby ignored Dean's annoying quips. "And yes, he did shoot a demon in the head with an iron bullet. I looked it up before I came up here, that's why it took me so long. Same affects took place that happened to you. If the bullet was far enough into the brain it stayed lodged into the skull, leaving the demon blind. If more bullets were fired, there was so much poison in the brain, the demon couldn't function and had to leave the host."

"Okay, how do you get the damned bullet outta my head now?"

Marcy hushed at Dean but Bobby continued to pay him no attention, although he did answer his question.

"He realized that...that holy water, while it was painful as hell, would bubble up and help dislodge the bullets and any fragments when poured into the wound. It would help bring it closer to the surface and the bullet may fall out on its own. But I figure, if it gets close enough to where I can see it, I'll pull it out. I didn't want to use this tactic because of the pain it will cause you, but it seems like it's our only option."

"Can't you just take some tweezers to my brain?"

"I'm not digging into your brain without knowing where the bullet is. I'm not doing brain surgery on you. But yes once it's close enough, I will be using the tweezers."

"Okay, fine. Good. Let's get a move on then."

"But won't the holy water just poison Dean's brain even more?" Sam was concerned on how much pain Dean would be in, and the lasting effects.

"Yeah, that's the part that sucks," Bobby informed him. From what I gather, it will prevent his brain from healing itself for a while. This guy said that the demons didn't get their sight back for two to three days."

"Two to three?" Sam gasped. "Bobby that's…"

"That's nothing," Dean finished for him, although that wasn't the response that Sam had been about to say. "Been through Hell Sammy, remember? No big deal. It will come back, just gotta wait it out. Now hurry and get this over with."

Bobby nodded and asked Marcy if she could hold Dean's head at a certain angle. He pulled out his flask of holy water and Sam reached for Dean, grimacing in anticipation of his brother's pain. When Sam's hand landed on Dean's shoulder, he shoved it off with a scowl.

"Don't touch me," Dean growled. Sam knew him well enough not to take it personally.

However, once Bobby starting pouring the holy water into the wound and smoke poured from his head, Dean actually yelled. It was a mangled sort of thing at first, forming into a word, into a scream of his brother's name.

"Sam!" It was almost a feral sort of yell, desperate. It unnerved something in Sam, imagining Dean getting tortured in Hell. He wondered if Dean had screamed like this, yelled for his brother to help save him because it was the only thing worth yelling for. Sam never came, and Dean got tortured until he turned into a demon.

But this…this time Sam could be there for him.

"Dean, I'm here. It's going to be alright." Sam grabbed Dean's hand and squeezed, shocked when Dean actually squeezed back…nearly crushing the bones in his hand. God, Sam forgot how strong his brother actually was sometimes. Dean wasn't in his right mind at the moment to hold back his strength.

"Sammy…" Dean's voice sounded more pained but it wasn't a scream anymore. Sam wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "Shit, shit, fuck…"

Sam would have laughed if the situation wasn't so painful to bear. "Are you almost done Bobby?"

"I can see it…just give me….30 seconds…damn, I'm sorry Dean…"

Sam knew the last thing Bobby wanted to do was hurt Dean. The handcuff incident seemed to really eat Bobby up inside, and it was probably killing him to do this to Dean, even though it was to help him.

Sam didn't once glance up at what Bobby was doing, just kept his eyes on Dean's face and tried to ignore the pain in his throbbing hand.

Finally, after what felt like hours in Sam's mind, Bobby made a triumphant noise and announced "Got it!" Marcy very gently laid Dean's head back down, only for blood to begin gushing out of the bullet hole.

"What the hell…" Sam gasped. He looked back to Dean who was still conscious, but obviously out of it, breathing in short, hitched breaths.

"It was to be expected. Gotta bandage him up now, you want to help with this?"

"He's kinda got my hand in a death grip." Sam raised their joined hands with a grimace.

"Don't you worry about that Sam." Marcy looked at him with an understanding glance. "You stay by your brother's side. I'll help Bobby fix him up."

She did. They put a thick bandage over the wound and wrapped up Dean's head with gauze. Dean only moaned and finally passed out, his hand going lax and Sam stretched his fingers with a wince.

Sam got up as Bobby and Marcy moved away from Dean. He removed the bloody pillow and replaced it with his own, trying not to jostle Dean as much as possible.

"He'll be okay." It wasn't a question but Bobby answered him anyway.

"Of course he'll be okay. We should get out and let him rest. Plus, there's some stuff I want to talk to you about."

"I'm going to bake him a pie since we're all staked up on supplies," Marcy announced, walking out first to head toward the kitchen.

Sam followed Bobby out but they didn't go downstairs. Obviously, Bobby didn't want anyone else around while they talked.

"First of all, are you okay boy?"

"Dean just got shot in the head and you're asking if I'm okay?"

Bobby huffed. "You just watched your brother get shot, scream from intense pain and bleed all over the place. That's gotta leave you terrified Sam, I know it did that to me…I can't imagine what it did to you."

Sam swallowed. "Well it didn't do anything good…I just…I just want to forget about it Bobby. But he's going to be okay, so I'm okay."

Bobby nodded understandably. "Now, about that asshole you beat up…."

"He shot my brother in the head!"

"I know that Sam, my god, you and Dean are more similar than I thought." He smirked at the thought. "I'm just afraid that you gave that man just what he wanted."

"He wanted to be beat up?"

"No. Attention. He seemed the type that needed other's attention, loved conflict. That's why he kept messing with Dean, that's why he was trying to get others on his side. The look on his face when I kicked him out…he seemed so unaffected by all this, so cocky. I'm afraid of what he may do."

"You think he wants to join groups of survivors just to start conflict? To try and tear people apart?"

"That's exactly what I think. But we made him look bad, took a shot at his ego and he doesn't seem too happy about that. Causing turmoil may not be enough for him."

"Do you think he'll come back for us?" Sam asked. "What's he going to do? It's just him and his brother against all of us."

"I don't know. I may just be shitting myself with my theory and getting all worked up for nothing. But just in case, we should take extra precaution. He's human and these wards won't keep him away. I'm gonna ask for double guard duty for the next week or two."

Sam nodded. Bobby's thoughts scared him, but he honestly didn't think Freddie was going to be a threat. They had a good amount of people here, a lot of them who could shoot. And they had Dean, who would wake up soon. Even though he was blind at the moment, he still had his powers, and he'd be able to take Freddie down easily.

Sam wasn't going to worry about it.

* * *

Dean didn't wake up until that evening. Sam was in their bedroom, reading a book, when he did awake. That was one advantage to this new world. People didn't worry about hording books, which meant there were loads of them lying around in abandoned libraries and bookstores. Dean often searched them out for Sam when they went out, letting him roam and take whatever sounded interesting. He always had something new to read.

Dean groaned, rubbing at his sightless eyes with a wince. "Sammy?"

Sam was at his side in an instant. "Hey, you feeling any better?"

"I'm awake, so I figure that's better."

Sam couldn't help but grin. "Enough, smart-ass."

"My head feels like it got ran over by a train, but I'm fine." Dean reached up to feel at his head and noticed the bandages. "Nice. Am I still bleeding?"

It looked like he was, only slightly. Sam ordered him to stay still and he grabbed the first-aid kit Bobby kept in the room. Dean didn't even bitch as Sam re-wrapped his head. He even asked Sam to help him stand up.

"Marcy made some pie earlier and I told her to save a big piece for you. Do you want to go downstairs?"

"Sure." Dean trailed off for a moment. "Wait! Wait! Open my duffle bag, not the one I take travelling, the other one."

Sam raised an eyebrow that Dean couldn't see, but obeyed nonetheless. "Okay…" He opened the bag and immediately saw porn magazines.

"Dude, seriously?!"

"Haha it's for you, do you like it?"

"You grabbed me porn magazines?"

"What? No! Those are mine, don't you dare think of taking those. Dig deeper."

Sam sighed and saw a folded up white shirt. "A shirt?"

"Yeah, take it out." Dean was grinning like a crazy person.

Sam pulled out the shirt and unfolded it. There, is big bold letters on the XL t-shirt was "I LOVE MY BIG BROTHER" but the love wasn't written out, instead in its place, was a big red heart.

"I am NOT wearing this!"

Dean broke out laughing, wincing at the same time, but he didn't try to stop. "Oh boy, I wish I could see the look on your face right now."

"Trust me, it isn't pretty."

"Your face is never pretty."

"Gee, thanks."

"And you are too wearing it. I had to fight through some damn Croats to get to that stupid t-shirt shop." Dean walked over and reached out a hand, on the fifth try (the third try he smacked Sam in the face and laughed) his hand finally landed on his shoulder. "Anyway, happy birthday Sammy."

Sam had known his birthday was coming up; they did make calendars and were well aware of the days. But in the midst of all that recently happened, Sam had forgotten it was today. And yet, Dean had remembered, even after getting shot in the head.

"Thanks Dean." Sam gave his brother a quick hug, even though Dean groaned about it. He then watched as Dean felt his way to the door. He knew the layout of Bobby's house, but even so, Sam didn't want him tripping and falling down the stairs.

"Dean, I'll…" Before Sam could get anything else out Dean vanished from in front of him. "Dean!"

Sam heard chuckling coming from downstairs. "Hurry your ass down here Sammy, what's taking you so long?"

Sam made his way down the stairs to see Dean standing in the middle of the living room. A few people were in there as well, looking shocked but not afraid. One woman, Jackie, was staring at him like she wanted to make out with him right then and there. Looked like their opinions of Dean were really turning around. Honestly, with someone as goofy and ridiculous as Dean was, Sam wasn't sure why anyone would have had a hard time feeling comfortable around him.

"Nice teleportation stunt," Sam admitted. "That will come in handy." Dean only had to picture the place he wanted to teleport to in his head, and it could only be about a half mile's distance away at most. But very slowly, Dean was able to teleport further distances.

"You got that right." Dean smirked and then vanished once again. His voice continued to come from the kitchen, of course, that's where the food was. "And if you do wear that shirt, I'll even let you split this piece of pie with me."

"Fine, jerk." Maybe it wouldn't hurt to wear it as a pajama shirt.

* * *

The brothers were in the living room later that night. Most of the group had retired to their tents outside but Bobby and Jody hadn't gone to bed yet. They were watching DVDs of TV series that would never be finished and talking about which supplies they would need next.

Dean had found it boring because he couldn't see the TV and he wouldn't be able to go on the next supply run. He was now slumped on the couch, leaning into Sam and snoring.

"I can't believe our toilet paper is lasting, that's the one thing I thought people might start hoarding, besides food of course," Jody mentioned.

"That's because as soon as we realized there was an outbreak, Dean raided what had to be hundreds of grocery stores. He stole his pies, canned goods and toilet paper, snatched up loads of the stuff before people thought this was anything more than the swine flu." Sam remembered those early days, they were perhaps the scariest.

The world hadn't realized the severity of this virus and had still been going about daily life. Sam had felt nearly depressed then. Seeing all the life going on around him, everything that humanity had accomplished and knowing that in weeks or months, it would all be gone, that most of these people would be dead….it really ate him up inside. He had made himself physically ill thinking about it countless times.

If he didn't have Dean…Sam wasn't sure if he would have had the energy and motivation to go on, to really fight. He was glad he had though, they had gathered up survivors, gave them shelter and an actual chance at life. They had amenities that no one else had, electricity and protection, thanks to Dean. Even though most of them had to live outside, Dean had gathered up professional camping tents and sleeping bags, they were allowed inside as they pleased and all were able to use Bobby's second bathroom, the one that was in the basement.

They actually had it made, compared to everyone else in the world. There was this sturdy fence that Dean and Bobby had installed, with magical protection thanks to Ruby in those early days. They were lucky that they were able to get the supplies they needed to construct the fence before the outbreak got too bad. One of the only rules was that the lights had to be out at a certain time. The fire pit had to be used sparingly in fear of demons or scavengers seeing the smoke. The Croats didn't seem to notice it. But they would respond to sound. People couldn't get crazy, but speaking normally didn't attract Croats, so they were safe outside with the fence's protection.

Sam's mind wandered off as Bobby and Jody continued to chat. He tuned out their conversation but that meant tuning into Dean's annoying snoring. Maybe he should get to bed now. He was exhausted, but just didn't feel like getting up….

A scream tore through the night and Dean startled awake next to him. A bright orange light could be seen from Bobby's back window. The screams got louder and a loud explosion from outside rocked the house.

"What the fuck is happening?" Even Dean sounded panicked. He latched onto Sam's arm, as if keeping Sam still would protect the younger brother.

Bobby rushed toward the window and then threw open the door. "Get inside! NOW!" he yelled to the people. He turned to the brothers and Jody. "There's a damn fire out there! We're under attack!"

Sam went to look for himself, Dean of course never letting go and following him.

"Holy shit," Sam gasped.

"What _? Tell me_!"

"The backyard is on fire! Dean, there are people on fire; some are trying to climb over the fence, oh my god…."

Dean tugged on Sam's shirt and forcibly dragged him away from the window, almost tripping on a chair as he backed them into the living room again.

"It's gonna spread, we gotta collect anything we need. Come on, let's hurry our asses up!"

Dean teleported them upstairs and Sam tried to gather his bearings from the disorientation of the transportation. Dean had found his duffels. He was shoving anything he could find into the large one, clothes, knick-knacks, Sam's books…

Sam could hear Bobby in the kitchen, trying to gather as much food as he could. Jody was yelling for the people outside to come in, if the fire hadn't trapped them. Marcy had awoken and Sam heard her screams and then someone could be heard running down the stairs. She was going for the children, trying to get them out first.

Everything…everything they had worked so hard on…it was gone now. Did they even stand a chance?

"Sam, are you even helping at all?"

Sam turned around to see Dean looking at him, or kind-of, his black eyes were looking a little to the left. He then remembered that Dean couldn't see. He had to get Dean out of here.

"I know this sucks Sam, it fucking sucks, but you need to grab anything you might think you'll need. Get the blood-bottles, your clothes, come on!"

Sam snapped into action, grabbing his own duffle and gathering up anything that was important, or anything that held importance to him. He made sure to grab the t-shirt Dean gave him, the leather jacket his brother handed down to him…

"Okay, are you ready?" Dean asked. He was standing with his over-stuffed duffels, waiting.

"Almost." Sam tried to hurry.

"I'm getting you the fuck outta here so grab everything; we're not coming back in."

"Dean, we can't do that, we need to help save anyone we can!"

"I'll teleport back in here, the fire won't kill me. You, you are staying outside. You're staying safe."

"I'm not going to sit there while people die! I will NOT do that Dean. And I won't let you go in alone. The fire won't kill you, but it would hurt you, I'm not leaving my blind brother in a burning house!"

"Sam, damnit, I'm not going to be responsible for anything happening to you, I can't risk it!"

"We don't have time for this, there's a damn fire outside, we can't waste time!"

Dean shut up and Sam grabbed a few more things. Dean teleported them outside so they could drop their duffels.

"As soon as it gets too bad, you're staying out here, you hear me?"

"And you're not going back in without me either."

"Fine, whatever." Dean grabbed Sam's arm once more and they were back in the house.

Only, a few second after, the sound of shattering glass was heard, and then an explosion rocked the kitchen.

The room burst into flames.


	7. Chapter 7

"Shit!" Dean cursed, feeling the heat of the fire. He reached out to find his brother, grabbing onto Sam's arms and patting his sleeves. The flames didn't seem to reach him either, thank goodness.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Sam assured him and pulled Dean to the left, which was probably away from the fire. "Dean, it's the kitchen! It's on fire!"

The kitchen, which led down to the basement, where the kids slept.

Well, shit.

Dean could hear screaming, some of which was definitely from a child or two.

"How bad's it?" Dean asked.

"Bad. It's spreading fast; we wouldn't be able to even get in there...Dean..."

They didn't have time to waste. "Okay listen," Dean said quickly. "I'm gonna go down there and grab the kids. You lead anyone else who is in here through a window or something. But damnit, be fucking careful Sammy."

"I will." Dean could picture Sam nodding his head eagerly. "But Dean, how..."

Dean didn't wait for Sam to finish his thought. He tuned his brother out and focused on teleporting to the location he had in mind.

When Dean heard the surprised yelp of Marcy and some children, he knew he had made it. It was actually weird teleporting without being able to see where he was once he finished. It threw him off balance, but only a little bit.

Dean shook off the initial dizziness and focused. He felt something slam into his legs and he probably would have toppled over, if he wasn't a super strong demon anyway.

"Dean!" He excited but scared voice was Aiden's. "You're okay! Can you help get us out of the house? The fire trapped us!"

Dean pried Aiden off of him and turned his head on instinct before he realized the action was pointless.

"Who's all down here?" he asked.

"Dean, thank goodness." Marcy spoke up. She reached out to touch his arm, which may have caused Dean to jump a little, not that he would ever admit it. "I tried getting as many kids out as I could. I only managed to get one of them out; I came down here to help the others before that massive fire ball broke into the house."

"Dean, why are there balls of fire falling into the house?" Aiden asked. "Is the world going to die like in that one movie..."

"Now's not the time kid. The world's not dying. We're under attack and I've got to get you all out. I can probably take two at a time."

"Take the kids first," Marcy demanded. "Come on everyone, gather around Dean."

Dean heard the remainder of the kids scrambling, calling out his name in pleading tones.

"Okay, now everyone calm down and shut up," Dean ordered, surprised when the kids actually did quiet down. "You're gonna have to listen and do everything I tell you. I can't see so if you run off and do something stupid, I'm not gonna bother to try and stop you."

The kids stayed quiet, hopefully they were paying attention.

"We gotta hurry the hell outta here and I can take two of you at a time. How many of you kids are there?"

This got a handful of responses.

"Four!"

"There's me and Emily and Aiden and..."

"Mrs. Marcy took Peter outside so there was five but..."

"Okay, okay. Four. I get it. I don't need names, now shut up again." Dean shook his head. "Aiden come here, and...I don't know Emily, you come too. You other two, hold on a minute."

Dean figured he had time to get them all, but he wanted to make sure Aiden was out first. Little shit was annoying as hell, but maybe Dean liked him a bit.

"Now each of you grab onto one of my hands and hold on tight. Don't be a wuss. Don't let go, okay? Or everyone will know you're a chicken and make fun of you."

Dean heard Marcy stifle a laugh. This would work, right? He could remember when Sam was a kid and was afraid of being judged by others. And hell, no one wanted to be seen as a "chicken".

The kids grabbed on, clutching his hands tightly. Best to get this over with when they weren't suspecting it...

There was a rush of air and Dean felt the ground change beneath his feet. They were on grass now.

"Kids! Come here!" The voice sounded like Peter's mom, the only mother that had a surviving kid.

One of them let go but someone else was still hanging on. _Hmm, wonder who that could be._

"Dean, hurry back!"

Yep, of course it was Aiden. "I will, but I won't be able to if you keep hanging onto me."

"I want to help too, you can't see, I can help you."

"Don't need it kid, I want you to stay safe with Peter's mom. So do it now or I won't come back."

Well that caused Aiden to let go. Good.

Dean teleported back to the basement, the heat felt stronger.

"Okay other two, come on, quick. Do the same as I told the others and if you value your life, don't let go. Hurry, I gotta get to my brother."

These kids listened as well and they let go when Dean ordered them to. Okay, good kids were safe. Now he could get to Sam...

No….shit. Marcy was still down there.

Dean realized that if this had been a year and a half ago, he probably would have left Marcy, not finding it worth it to save her. But she didn't deserve to die and was actually nice to him. And although Dean was worried as hell over Sam, he knew that Sam was being careful. He was smart and maybe Dean had lessened the leash he had on Sam a teeny-tiny bit in the last two years…just a little. Enough to have confidence that Sam could hold his own right now for a little while. He trusted Sam to call for him if he was in trouble.

Still, it took everything in Dean not to go and grab Sammy first. Especially after the Croat attack, he was more paranoid and hovering than usual. But if he didn't get Marcy now she probably would die.

Dean teleported back one more time, unable to stop himself from falling to the ground this time. Marcy rushed over, babbling her concerns as Dean tried to gather his bearings.

He was weak. The headshot and poison in his brain wasn't helping. He had never teleported four people so quickly like that. It was ever only Sam, or the occasional survivor when Dean needed to get them out of trouble. But never had he teleported two people at once. He hadn't even been sure he could do it at all, but he figured that he could try. And it had worked, but it left Dean feeling drained.

After Marcy, he couldn't teleport anyone else...except Sam, that was. He could always find the energy to save his brother. It was as if he had his own "in case of Sammy emergencies" power stored deep inside him that was reserved for only that purpose.

"I'm fine." Dean breathed deeply. "Come on, grab onto me. I have to hurry and get Sam."

Marcy didn't speak anymore, latching onto Dean's arm, she braced herself.

The teleportation wasn't as graceful. Both Dean and Marcy landed on their backs in the grass.

"Dean, it's Freddie!" It was Jody who was calling out. "He's throwing Molotov cocktails at the house! He's on the other side; I can't tell if he has anymore!"

Shit, shit! If only he could see, he could easily find Freddie and snap his neck. He couldn't though, which meant Sam had to get out of that house. Now.

Dean shakily stood up. He could hear Aiden shouting "Dean looks sick!" just before he teleported back into the house.

Dean had to quickly jump to his left as soon as he got back into the living room; he had nearly teleported into a section of fire. The room was scorching and he could barely breathe through the fire. And if he was having a hard time breathing as a demon, then Sam...

"Sammy!" Dean yelled, hoping he could be heard over the crackling flames. "Sam!"

"Dean!"

Oh thank god. Or whoever or whatever.

Dean felt Sam run into him. He reached over, hitting Sam in the neck before grasping into his shoulder.

"You alright?"

"I'm okay." Sam didn't sound okay, he sounded like he was about to pass out as his voice was hoarse as hell. "Dean, you look terrible. What's wrong?"

"Don't worry about me right now, gotta get you outta here before Freddie..."

"There's people outside," Sam's voice was heartbroken. "I helped some out but then there was another explosion and I can't get to them Dean. I tried but I can't and some are burning..."

"It's okay. Can't save everyone. You got as many people as you could. Now I'm getting you outta here."

Dean didn't wait to see if Sam would complain. He teleported his brother outside. His head was screaming in pain and he crumpled to the ground, bringing Sam with him.

"Dean! Oh my god!" Sam sounded frantic. "What did you do? Get everyone out by teleporting them? You're too weak!"

Dean's eyes were watering from the intense pain as Sam helped him up.

"You're still such a damn hero, you know that?" Sam continued on. "I can't believe any of these people could have ever had a problem with you. They sure as hell won't now."

Dean wanted to say something sarcastic back, but his head was too muddled to even bother coming up with something. He let Sam sit him down next to the others.

"We need to check and see who's all here," Sam was saying. "Do we..."

"Oh my god!" Jody gasped. "Bobby!"

That brought Dean's attention back to the here and now. "Bobby? Where is he? What happened?"

"He's not here; he must still be in the house!" she cried. "He was collecting supplies!"

Of course. Damnit, Bobby was probably trapped in his room or something. Dean figured the house was nearly engulfed in flames by now. He knew he wouldn't be able to teleport Bobby out; he wasn't strong enough to bring someone with him.

But fuck, it was Bobby. He had to at least try and get him. They could find some other way to get out.

The sounds of groans and sick gurgling noises were heard from the distance. Shit, now the Croats were coming, attracted to the sound and sight of the fire. He had to hurry.

Dean stumbled to his feet, getting a worried look from Sam in response.

"Dean, if Bobby's in there, I have to find an entrance... I'll get him..."

Dean ignored Sam. "I'm going in," he told him. Before Sam could complain and argue, Dean vanished from his sight and landed in what he hoped was Bobby's room. From the heat of the flames Dean felt a minute ago, the downstairs was basically gone and Bobby would be too if he had been down there...

"Dean! Shit what are you doing in here?"

The sound of Bobby's voice released something in Dean. Maybe it was relief, a toned down version of the relief he felt whenever Sam was okay.

Dean took a step forward and started to fall.

Luckily, Bobby grabbed him before he landed with his face in the floor.

"You can barely stand boy, and you came in here to get me?"

"Well it's not like I'm risking my life or anything."

It was as if Dean could feel Bobby rolling his eyes. "No, but you're risking being engulfed in flames too. You didn't have to come and get me at all, but you did." There was something in Bobby's voice that Dean couldn't comprehend.

"Yeah, but don't get too excited just yet. I don't have the strength to teleport us both out of here. So we have to find another way out. Why were you still in here anyway?"

Bobby's voice sounded sad. "I was trying to get as much as I could. My books and ingredients and weapons that would come in handy, the Colt. And then the fire was blocking the stairs. I figured I was a goner."

Of course Bobby would be way too attached to his things and this house. Dean hoped he wouldn't cry and mope about it forever. House was way too damn small for all of them anyway.

"Dean, I can't even get downstairs. It's blocked. Just go, keep your brother safe…"

"Shut the hell up Bobby!" Dean growled, surprised when Bobby did remain quiet. "We're wasting time. Now be my eyes and tell me someplace that would be safe to jump to."

"Jump?"

"I'll bust a hole through your house or a window and we can jump down. But there's probably fire on the outside too. Tell me where it's safe."

"Okay, just a second…gotta grab my bags," a few moments later Bobby grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him, probably out into the hallway. "The fire's spread outside my bedroom and your boys' bedroom was on the same side, so that's probably not safe…"

Dean felt the floor change beneath his feet. They were in the bathroom.

"Okay, okay…it's safe below the bathroom window, but the glass is thicker, it's not the kind that can be easily…"

"Bobby, demon, remember?"

"Oh…yeah, yeah. Shut it." Bobby led Dean over to the window. "What are you gonna do just…" he stopped when Dean smashed his fist into the window, leaving a jagged hole in the thick glass. "Okay, I guess so. My god boy, I forget you can be this strong."

"Yeah, luckily for all of you, I have a heart of gold," Dean snickered.

"You're saying it like it's a joke."

"It is." Dean sent his fist through the window again; the pain was hardly anything compared to what he had just experienced. "A demon with a heart of gold?"

"Sure sounds like you."

"Oh shut up." With one more punch, Dean was able to clear most of the glass. He took off his overshirt and laid it over the remaining shards. "Now hurry up, don't break your leg falling, old man."

Bobby huffed. "Taken worse drops then this kid," he addressed Dean, "and I came out just fine."

Dean heard Bobby climb over and second later, the sound of a loud thud.

"Survive?" Dean chuckled.

"If you could see I'd be giving you the middle finger right now."

Actually, if Dean could see, he'd probably jump out the window just to show off. But he didn't feel like having his head cracked open on top of everything else. So he grabbed his shirt and teleported down to Bobby.

Bobby grabbed his arm before Dean could try and push away his dizziness. "Come on, we're getting the hell outta here. Where's everyone wai…" Bobby froze and Dean stumbled into him.

"What the.." Dean began to complain.

"Shh…it's the ass that blinded ya, he's this way, we gotta turn around….oh shit! He sees us! Come on!" Bobby yanked Dean and began to pull him the other way.

"Run all you want demon, I'll just put a bullet in your buddy's head, then go for your brother." Freddie's voice was heard from behind them and Dean stopped dead at the threat. "Anyone that supports you is…ahhh!"

Dean heard the noise of a gunshot going off and flinched. He felt for Bobby.

"I'm okay, kid. It was…oh my god." Bobby was chuckling. Huh, had someone shot Freddie? Sweet.

"Is he dead? Please tell me the asshole is dead."

"Not quite, his brother shot him in the leg and then made a run for it. There's quite a few Croats journeying over here because of his screams, we should go."

"But I want to see…or hear…him die. Come'on Bobby, it will be fun."

"As much of an ass that he is, hearing anyone die ain't fun."

"For a demon it is."

"Yeah, yeah . How bout we get back to your brother? He's probably worried sick."

Well, that was one way to get Dean to shut up and get moving right away.

As they walked past a screaming Freddie on the ground, he yelled at Dean.

"Help me please! You can't leave me here. The Croats will get to me!"

Dean stopped and turned around. "You're really asking me to help you?" he asked incredulously. "You tried to kill me and then ask me for help?"

"I'm sorry for shooting you." Freddie sounded frantic now. "I won't bother you ever again. But you have to help me!"

Dean grinned wickedly, looking to where he hoped the pathetic man was. "Oh I'm really sorry, I'd love to. But you see, I'm blind, because someone shot me in the head. I can't see where you are to help you, that's too bad."

Bobby scoffed at that as he continued to drag Dean along. A few moments later, a high pitched scream was heard and the groaning of excited Croats as they tore into flesh. Exactly the death the little fucker deserved.

* * *

"Bobby! Dean! Oh thank god!" Running toward them immediately, Sam was prying Bobby's arm off of Dean as he took control of leading his brother. "Bobby, you okay?"

"I'm good Sam, your brother the hero got me out just in time. Thought I was gonna croak in there."

Sam was being what Dean would call "all stupid smiley" at the moment.

"I'm not a hero, shut up" The older brother seemed uncomfortable.

"Yeah, Dean. Saving people's lives…you're such a terrible, horrible person."

"I'm closer to that than a hero."

"Sure you are. I'd argue more but we have to find someplace to go, there's a bunch of Croats gathering around. They're distracted by the fire right now but they'll realize we're here if we wait too long." Sam watched how Dean swayed on his feet. "Plus, you look like you're going to collapse and all these people need rest too. So we have to find a house or someplace to shack up in for a while."

"But I won't be able to go into the building and check it out to make sure it's Croat-free." Dean pointed out. Oh yeah, he was _such_ a terrible person. Nothing hero about him at _all_.

"It's fine. I'll…"

"No you're not going in there! Don't you even think about it!"

Sam sighed. He was a grown man, a hunter. He could take care of searching a building. And he was immune. But now wasn't the time to argue. "We'll talk about it when we find the place."

"My bags…," Dean started.

"Marcy and Lexi are carrying them. Don't worry. Just lean on me if you need it."

"Not gonna happen."

But it did. They were headed toward the suburbs and about 20 minutes into the journey, when Dean nearly fell flat on his ass. It was a good thing Sam already had a death grip on his arm to help lead him. After that, it was as if Dean needed Sam for physical support, and he knew they wouldn't be able to get much further. Dean was only looking worse, he couldn't see and the group was scared and hungry.

They had to journey away from downtown with such a large group. The downtown area did have the benefit of having more supplies and shelter. But there were also more people hiding about and that could be dangerous, and not to mention that Croats lurked in the city as well. So while they were heading away, there would still be places to stay, they weren't that far from the city. Sam just hoped they'd find something soon before his brother passed out. He was worried about Dean in the condition he was in, not to mention terrified that his sight wouldn't return.

"Sam." Bobby stopped walking and the entire group came to a halt. Sam was on high alert, keeping a strong grip on Dean as he scanned the surrounding area.

Then he saw it. It wasn't a threat. But in the distance, to the right, there was a farm house and a barn.

Thank god.

"Whaza'am it?" Dean mumbled, barely understandable.

"It's a farmhouse, man," Sam told his brother. He smiled for reassurance, but then remembered Dean wouldn't be able to see it. "Don't worry; you'll be able to relax in a few minutes."

"Sleep," Dean muttered.

Sam couldn't help but quietly laugh. "Yeah, sleep. Of course."

When they finally reached the farm house, they found it long-ago abandoned. The grass was overgrown; most of the crops had gone bad, not re-growing after the winter. Even though it seemed quiet, Jody and the teenage boy, Steve, went in to investigate. They came out minutes later, stating it was okay.

Sam had to practically drag Dean inside, he was half-asleep. At one point, he jolted awake for a moment, and a rusted wheelbarrow to his right shot up into the air, about five feet. Huh.

At least that got the kids giggling and awing with amazement. No matter how many times Dean did something involving his powers, they always seemed to be just as awestruck every single time.

Even some of the adults smiled. The resignation toward Dean had decreased dramatically and Sam was so, so glad. Maybe Dean could start attempting to interact with other people now. He'd still probably be awkward as hell and a major grump, but he wouldn't have to worry about people being afraid of him.

The smell that assaulted him when they walked in was a damp, musty one. Sam fought not to gag and trudged his way forward. The place was covered in a layer of dust, but at least it hadn't been ransacked like other buildings. That was the advantage of finding a home in the middle of a dirt road. People didn't try and search out random isolated structures, they had gone to places that were familiar, where other survivors were, places that were easy to get to by main roads.

And that had been society's first mistake. Because the demons had been waiting, and the infections were hard to contain with so many people about.

"Sam." Bobby's voice interrupted his somber thoughts. "Place your brother down here for now, let him rest." The older man was attempting to pound the dust out of the flower patterned sofa. For some reason, Sam didn't think Dean would care about getting some dust on his clothes, heh.

But it was still sweet of Bobby to do so. He had come an awful long way from trapping and poisoning Dean like a prisoner, a monster. Now he was trying to clean things to make sure he could be as comfortable as possible, the little things you do for the people you love.

And Dean had gone into that burning house to get Bobby without hesitation, without Sam saying anything about it.

Dean and Bobby's relationship, their understanding of each other, was finally back to what it had been before Dean went to Hell.

Sam dragged Dean over and with Bobby's help, placed him on the couch as gently as they could. He was out like a light as soon as his face touched the cushion.

"Kid needs his hair cut," Bobby stated fondly.

"You're telling me, he apparently thinks it 'makes him look cool'."

"Never thought Dean was the type to think growing his hair out would be cool." Bobby shrugged.

Sam didn't get it either. He'd really like to shake a razor to Dean's hair right now, but they had more pressing issues.

First, they needed a head count. There had been 14 of them who survived. The five kids, Dean, Sam, Bobby, Jody, Marcy, the teenage boy-Steve, the youngest kid's mother-Heather, and two others. One of them being Lexi, the young woman who had flirted with Dean and another was an African American man in his early forties, Carl, who had been a construction worker and did an amazing job on helping the brothers build the fence around Bobby's.

Too bad the fence couldn't keep a crazy psychopath's Molotov cocktails out.

"Everyone, gather around. I want to make sure all 14 of us are here." Everyone slowly formed a group by the couch, surrounding Sam and the sleeping Dean. It was obvious how tired everyone was and Sam wasn't going to keep them up for much longer, but they had to get a few things settled first.

He counted and was happy to see that no one had gotten lost from the group on their way here.

"Okay, good, we're all here. But we can't stay for too long. We need to find some place that's functioning better. This farm house is old, it won't be well insulated in the winter and we're not close enough to a town or city to get supplies."

"But we could grow crops here," Steve pointed out.

"Yeah, but there's lots of farmland around here. If we could find a better house or something, one that's bigger and newer, that would be our best bet. We won't leave until we know where we're going and we'll discuss this more tomorrow with better ideas. Right now, I think everyone wants to sleep."

Everyone nodded, a few of the kids yawned tiredly. Aiden was looking worriedly at Dean, but seemed afraid to approach him in case he was hurt. Sam wasn't up to trying to find everyone, including the kids, a place to sleep and blankets and pillows. Luckily, no one seemed to expect him to help, with his brother hurting so much.

Sam slumped to the floor, his back against the front of the couch where Dean lay. He let his mind wander, mostly thinking about Dean, when or if his sight would return, hoping that he would feel better tomorrow. He also was thinking about where in the world they were going to go. Dean would have good advice though, so it was best not to worry about this until tomorrow when he would hopefully be more alert.

"Hey."

Sam looked up to see Carl standing in front of him; he had some ratty looking, somewhat moth-eaten blankets and a pillow in his hands. He handed them to Sam.

"Thank you," Sam told the man gratefully. He could hear Bobby and Jody discussing where people could sleep and also Marcy soothing one of the children who was crying.

"No big deal," Carl smiled. "Is he, is Dean, going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he should…all the signs point to him getting his sight back soon. Maybe even tomorrow, but I'm sure he'll at least be feeling better then. He heals quickly."

"Alright." The man looked a little awkward. "It's just that, he saved all those kids back there, I watched him bring them outside. I mean, we were all so terrified that we didn't realize about the kids until it was too late, they were trapped. We didn't know what to do and if it weren't for Dean..."

"Yeah," Sam smiled.

"Anyway," Carl continued, rubbing the back of his head. "I hadn't been afraid of him, only that first week I was here. But I had always been wary, just because he was a demon. But…he doesn't deserve to have that, the judgment, you know? Like we're waiting for him to snap or something. He keeps proving himself and well, I wanted to let you know that, at least in my book, Dean doesn't deserve to be treated differently from anyone else here. In fact, he's the main reason why we've made it this far and have had it so easy."

"Thank you." Sam was genuinely touched. "I know that it may be weird for you all, with him being a demon, but everyone was overlooking the good he's done. He never did anything to make people doubt him but I think it was too hard for you guys to get past the whole demon thing. He's going to be really awkward and do and say things that a normal human wouldn't, so it will be a little hard to relate to him, but ignoring him will only make it worse. I think if people treat him more like a person and not a monster, it will do him a lot of good."

"Heh, yeah a monster is one thing he's definitely not." Carl looked a lot more comfortable now, finally getting out what he wanted to say and knowing that Sam understood. "Now tell him to hurry up and feel better so we can get some electricity going in here," he joked.

Sam wasn't happy that Bobby's place got burnt down, and he was of course furious that Dean had gotten shot. But in a way, maybe Freddie actually helped them, brought them all closer together, like a real and equal group. Sam wished the man were still alive for only a moment so he could tell him this. Wouldn't that be something?


	8. Chapter 8

Sam woke up with a yawn, his left arm hit something and he slowly turned his neck to see what it was.

 

It was the arm of the couch. How did he..? Dean had been sleeping on the couch and Sam had lay down on the floor next to him.

 

Sam instantly looked down to the floor where he had been lying and saw nothing but a pillow and one of the ratty blankets.

 

“Dean!” Sam practically shouted his brother’s name and in return, the pillow that had been on the ground flew up and smacked him on the side of the face.

 

“Hey’ya Sammy.”

 

Sam looked up to see Dean standing over him, staring down with a grin on his face.

 

Oh! He was actually looking at Sam! His black eyes were locked on Sam’s face and even though he was squinting a little, it was obvious Dean could see him.

 

“You can see!” Sam stated, excited.

 

“No shit.”

 

Sam laughed and sat up. “How did I…” He started, but Dean interrupted him before he could finish his thought.

 

“Woke up a few hours ago, things were pretty blurry but I could see. It’s slowly getting better but probably won’t be a hundred percent until tomorrow. I felt a shit ton better, moved your long-as body to the couch; you don’t fit but figured it was better than the floor.”

 

“Thanks.” Sam smiled.

 

“Here,” Dean said, quietly this time. He shoved a blood-mixture water bottle into his hand. Sam was worried other people might see it, but Dean wouldn’t give it to him if anyone was nearby. His brother stayed by his side as he drank it, talking about what Sam missed while he was sleeping.

 

“We scrounged up some crap for breakfast that we managed to salvage,” Dean told Sam after he fished the bottle. He took it from Sam and threw it in his duffle to refill later. “Come eat it before it’s gone, you’ve slept long enough.”

 

Sam rolled his eyes but stood up with a stretch. He saw that mostly everyone was huddled around the table in the kitchen, eating from cans. As he got closer he saw that they were cans of fruits and vegetables, nothing had been cooked.

 

“Are you not feeling strong enough to get the electricity working?” Sam asked his brother, who was digging through the kitchen cabinets. He knew Dean would have wanted the electricity on first thing so he could eat better food by cooking it.

 

“I could probably get a few rooms going, but why bother. Look at the stove; it’s a gas one genius. And it’s out of gas. Plus, we’re not staying here for long.”

 

Sam took a can of apples in some kind of juice sauce and grabbed the can opener that had been placed in the center of the table. “What are you doing?”

 

“The most exciting part of visiting a new place! Raiding through the drawers and cabinets to look for stuff we can use!” Dean really was excited, and he was in an all-around good mood. Maybe it was because he could see again but…Sam looked around him, at the people who seemed relaxed, how Carl walked up right next to Dean without any fear to gather some silverware from the drawers. Maybe Dean was also happy because he was being accepted, because his heroic deeds were finally being recognized by the people he had helped this past year.

 

"Taking stuff from people that are probably dead isn't exactly what I'd call exciting,” Sam replied.

 

"Hey, I used to steal from the living all the time. Isn't this better that I'm taking from the dead? Not like they're going to miss this stuff." Dean chuckled and Sam rolled his eyes in return.

 

"It's just so sad to think these people are gone. This used to be their home."

 

"So you'd let that stop you from taking stuff you need? They're dead or surviving somewhere else. Who cares?" Dean reached up in the cabinet again, wincing and grabbing onto his bad arm. Dean instantly glared at Sam even though he couldn’t actually see his expression, indicating that he was fine. He had known that Sam would have been looking concerned.

 

“He does have a point," Lexi, the one who apparently had a thing for Dean now, spoke up. "These people wouldn't want their stuff to go to waste. Wouldn't they want other people to find it to help them survive?"

 

"Yeah I know," Sam said. He understood, really, it was just hard to think about. And he’d never understand Dean’s excitement and eagerness to dig through the stuff and take what he pleased. But it was just one of his demon things and Dean usually found really helpful stuff, so it came in handy.

 

Sam ate his apples and listened to the kids playing. Bobby walked into the room a few minutes later with a sigh.

 

"Damn, I'm gonna miss my place." It seemed like after the adrenaline wore off from last night, Bobby finally realized he’d never go back to the only place he’d ever called home. While it had still been standing, they all at least had a sense of familiarity and normalcy. Now, everything was new and scary and foreign. They weren't sheltered and safe anymore, they had to try to truly adapt and start fresh like everyone else in the world that survived had.

 

"It's just a house," Dean muttered. He grabbed a stack full of bowls and placed them on the counter to put in a bag later.

 

"Well excuse me, it's what kept us all safe, had everything we needed, protected us from everything."

 

"Didn't protect us from a crazy man with fire." Dean’s back was still turned but Sam could sense him rolling his eyes.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry; I'm not allowed to mourn the place I called home?" Bobby was upset, but not exactly pissed. He mostly sounded defeated.

 

Dean turned around with a sigh, a bunch of plastic drinking cups in one hand. "Let it go Bobby. There is no home anymore. Nothing is safe. You can't get attached to places, focus on the people you have instead. That's what a home is."

 

Dean turned around before anyone could reply. Bobby looked just as shocked as Sam from the older Winchester’s surprising words of wisdom. Dean was totally right, and it also revealed a lot about his brother as well.

 

"Huh, never thought a demon would out-smart me," Bobby said.

 

"I've been out-smarting you since I got back from Hell, and you know it. My demon-ness gave me more clarity, not that I wasn't awesome before, but now I'm even more amazing."

 

A couple people couldn’t hold back their chuckles. Sam wondered how they never had noticed this side of Dean before.

 

"Just...shut your ass."

 

"My ass isn't the one talking Bobby, that would be my mouth."

 

Steve suddenly burst out into laughter. "Okay, I love this guy; I won't deny it any longer. He's fricken’ hilarious."

 

Of course a teenage boy would like Dean’s retorts. _Of course._

 

Bobby smartly decided to let Dean win this one. “Anyway, Mr. Smart-ass here said he had an idea of what to do. But he was waiting until you woke up, Sam.” He turned to Dean now. “How about you get on with it?”

 

Dean put the plates and bowls to the side and jumped up on the counter so he was sitting on it, facing the group with his legs dangling. “Everyone in here?” He squinted, trying to count how many people were in the room.

 

Sam counted for him. “Everyone but Heather.”

 

“Heather?” Dean was honestly confused. Sam couldn’t blame him, why make an effort to remember these peoples’ names if they weren’t making an effort before.

 

“Peter, the little boy, his mom,” Sam pointed out.

 

“She’s watching the kids,” Jody added in.

 

Dean waved his hand. “Meh, someone needs to watch them. She can be filled in later. Now I checked over this place and we can’t stay here. Bobby’s place was way too damn small for us, and I’m not even including the people that died. We were crammed. This place isn’t much bigger and it’s old as hell and stinks. We need something better. Some place where everyone can sleep. A place that has a water tank we can refill and has a generator so I only have to worry about starting that up rather than the whole building.”

 

Dean hopped off the counter, grabbing the first bowl in his stack he created. “What I’m thinkin’ of, is a hotel. A nice one, not some cheap ass motel and Ruby, well I told her to go on the lookout for one months ago.”

 

“You were planning on us leaving?” Bobby questioned.

 

“Uh, yeah. Didn’t I just get done telling you your place was way too damn small? We all knew it, even you, but you didn’t want to let the place go. I figured I’d eventually talk you into it or you’d come to your senses. And to have a place ready for emergencies. Thankfully for you all, I was thinking ahead. If Ruby’s found something, you all better kiss my ass.”

 

Sam could sense the nervousness in the room when Ruby’s name was mentioned, apparently Dean noticed it too. She popped by every now and then back at Bobby’s, so the group knew of her but they were more wary than they had ever been with Dean because they weren’t familiar with her.

 

“Is anyone going to have a problem with her? ‘Cause she’s our best shot. You know she’s helped us before. She won’t try anything sneaky while she’s with me, I’ll make sure of that.”

 

No one spoke up. It was obvious they didn’t trust Ruby, but they now trusted Dean, which meant they trusted his word on her.

 

“She’s fine,” Sam added in. “Annoying, but I don’t think she’d risk working with us if she was plotting something.”

 

“That is an understatement little brother, annoying doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Dean smirked. “Now I gotta make the demon-call to get her down here. You guys probably don’t wanna watch this, but go on right ahead if you do, just don’t cry to me that it’s gross.”

 

Sam had to admit, what other demons made seem creepy, Dean made it seem pretty cool. Other demons would slit a person’s neck to get the blood, but you didn’t need nearly that much and no one had to die. Sure, human blood was needed, but someone cutting their arm did the trick perfectly fine.

 

Sam stood up to give his blood, something that Dean always had an issue with, but Steve shot up, insisting that he could give his blood. Dean had no problem with that, of course.

 

Steve let his blood drip in until Dean said it was enough. Sam was surprised at the amount of people that gathered around and watched the blood bubble up.

 

Dean stared into the bowl with some kind of demon concentration and then…

 

“Ruby, get your ass over here.”

 

Whatever Ruby’s reply was, no one else but Dean could hear. It was pretty cool and Sam wasn’t even going to try and ask how it worked. Dean probably didn’t know either.

 

“There is no more Bobby’s place, there was a fire,” Dean spat, glaring into the blood-bowl.

 

The blood bubbled again. “Which road are we on?” He looked up, squinting at the group.

 

“Country Highway 6, I think we just got into Minnesota,” someone spoke up and Dean repeated it, along with stating they were staying in a farmhouse.

 

Seconds later, Ruby appeared standing in the kitchen, causing everyone to jump but Dean, who calmly placed the bowl down on the counter.

 

“Well….” Ruby took a look around the room at the remaining survivors. “Looks like a bunch of you croaked. Still, when Dean mentioned a fire, I thought there’d be more dead.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” Sam muttered.

 

“So,” Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you find a place for us or not?”

 

“Hah, months ago! On the three-way border too. It’s actually in Iowa, barely. Right by Minnesota and South Dakota. It’s a five-store resort. Real fancy, tons of rooms and suites, on a country road with nothing else around it but farms. Looks like it was built recently, meant to grow the area, create more attractions before the world turned into a shit-hole. Got it all protected from my demon-witch powers. Everything’s running, even chanted the pool so it stays clean. Got a few people there already.”

 

“Okay, good. Now lead us to it.”

 

Now it was Ruby’s turn to cross her arms, she smirked at Dean. “Not so fast. We have to make a deal.”

 

“What the hell are you…,” Dean began.

 

“Chill, nothing big. I lead you guys there, and in return, I get to stay. That’s it. No one kicks me out or tells me what to do. You’ll need me anyway to keep those enchantments up.”

 

Sam had figured Ruby would stay anyway. But apparently she had thought that these people would have an issue with her, and therefore the brothers wouldn’t allow her to stay.

 

“Fine, I don’t care,” Dean grumbled.

 

Ruby walked in front of Dean, smiling slyly. “Good, now let’s seal this deal.” She winked, kissing Dean on the lips and moving away before he could even react.

 

She then turned toward the group, ignoring the rage on Dean’s face. “Come on, patience is something I lack. Let’s start moving!”

 

Dean grabbed at Ruby’s arm and spun her around. “You’re not the boss here. We don’t listen to you. We’re taking at least one more night here cause I can’t even see clearly and me and Sammy need some more rest.”

 

Sam noticed how the group collectively breathed a sigh of relief. They needed an extra day to rest too, and didn’t want to take orders from Ruby. Hopefully, she’d hold back and just do as Dean said in order to avoid any more drama.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean pushed past Ruby and walked out of the kitchen. Who was she to tell them when they should leave? If she was going to stay with them unfortunately, she was going to have to learn her damn place.

 

He walked into one of the bedrooms and could sense Sam following him. Of course he was. Dean sighed and turned around.

 

“What Sam?”

 

Sam didn’t seem put off by Dean’s irritability, he was probably used to it by now. “Are you sure this is a good idea? With Ruby?”

 

“What other choices do we have?”

 

“We could set up our own place, find somewhere safe.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes with a huff. “You know that we’d never be as safe as somewhere that she could proof for us. She knows tricks with those witch spells of hers to get things working and crap that we have no clue about. You know how much work this would save us anyway, since she already had the place up and running?”

 

Sam sighed. “I know, I’m just nervous to have her staying with us.”

 

“She’s only helped us, and while I won’t ever trust her not to screw us over, I think we have a better chance of her staying and leaving us be then turning on us. With me, you and Bobby, she knows better than to try anything. Everyone will be watching her every move, one screw up and she’s dead.”

 

Sam nodded, he seemed to feel better about the idea now that he talked it out.

 

“Talking about me?” The brothers turned around to see Ruby standing in the doorway of the bedroom they were in. “Don’t worry, your buddy Bobby just got done telling me he’d slice my head off with my own knife if I so much as looked at someone the wrong way.”

 

“Good,” Dean hissed at her. “Now go away.”

 

“What are you, five?” Ruby rolled her eyes. “Trust me; I wouldn’t be making conversation with the two of you for the hell of it. I actually have some information that may interest you.”

 

Dean actually perked up at this. Maybe it was some information on Alastair so he could finally kill the bastard. “Well, spit it out already.”

 

“Take it easy. A few months ago, I was attacked by a vampire.”

 

Dean glared at her. “Seriously? This is the insightful information you had for us? You’ve got to be shitting me.”

 

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. “Dean, relax. Let her finish.”

 

Dean wanted to make a retort back, but he found himself actually calming down, which Sam only seemed capable of doing, even with a simple touch. Whatever.

 

“How about you actually think about this Dean,” Ruby continued. “What kind of vampire, and this one was alone, would try and attack a demon? They know that they don’t stand a chance.”

 

“Maybe they thought you were human and wanted to eat you.” Dean snickered.

 

“Dumbass, you know they can smell us. And I even had my eyes black at the time. The thing was acting like an animal.”

 

“It was probably hungry, going nuts.” Dean shrugged.

 

“No, they get weak when they’re hungry, they don’t randomly attack demons.” Ruby looked agitated. “Anyway, I killed it, and was going to write it off as a freak thing. But then it happened again, this time it was a shifter.”

 

Dean looked over at his brother; they both knew that shifters didn’t need to rely on anything from humans to survive, like vampires did. So even if this thing mistook Ruby as a human, why would it attack her?

 

“It was acting crazy too?” Sam asked.

 

“Even more, he didn’t have any weapons on him, just punching me. I let him, just to see what would happen. About five minutes in, he started shaking his head and screaming at someone who wasn’t there. He kept telling whoever it was to stop, to shut up and to leave him alone.”

 

Okay, now Dean was really confused. “Are you sure he wasn’t talking to you?”

 

“Nope, he started muttering to himself and then finally seemed to realize I was there and then…he told me to help him, that he couldn’t take anymore and to kill him.”

 

“Let me guess, you killed him instead of finding out more?” Dean huffed in disbelief.  


“Yes, I killed him, Dean.” Ruby growled. “I tried finding out more but he only went back into his crazy-state and began attacking a bunch of Croats, so I killed him.”

 

“What if…” Sam spoke up, his voice sounded horrified. “What if these monsters got bitten by Croats and this is the effect the virus has on them?”

 

Dean considered Sam’s theory for a minute. “I don’t think so.”

 

“It’s a demonic virus,” Ruby said. “I don’t see how it could have an effect on monsters.”

 

“But it could be possible,” Sam pointed out.

 

“I don’t know Sammy.” Dean couldn’t believe that there would be monster-Croat hybrids. “I mean, maybe, but I don’t think that’s it. Ruby said the shifter was telling something to ‘shut up’, the Croatoan virus doesn’t make people hear voices, it just turns them into these brainless things.”

 

Sam didn’t seem too convinced. “I don’t know, but there’s gotta be a way to find out.”

 

Dean nodded. “We’ll find a creature, tie it up and then I’ll grab a Croat and have it bite the creature. We’ll see what happens. Or…if we find a monster that’s already going coocoo, we’ll keep it trapped and I’ll interrogate it. We’ll figure this out.”

 

The look on Sam’s face sent something in Dean twisting. It made him feel uncomfortable.

 

“There’s a world full of Croats, demons killing people, psycho disgusting humans…and now apparently there’s rabid monsters. Dean...it’s like it just keeps getting worse. What if the whole world just…”

 

“Sammy.” Dean glared at his brother. He watched as Ruby rolled her eyes at the direction the conversation took and left the room. “Shut the hell up. We’ll figure it out. We’ll find out what’s causing it and we’ll stop it. We’ll try and figure out a way to manage the Croats and we’re gonna kill Alastair. Didn’t we just save a bunch of people? Now I’m not a master at human feelings but shouldn’t you be happy or something because of that?”

 

“It’s only one good thing in a mix of so many terrible things, Dean.”

 

“Oh come on, it’s not just one thing. Even I know that. You can’t seriously have a demon being more optimistic than you, right?”

 

“Tell me what else is good then, Dean, tell me.” Sam sounded determined but broken. There were tears in his eyes and his jaw was set.

 

Dean sighed, he was caught between getting irritated and that weird feeling he got when Sam was sad. “Other than that group of people in there? How about the fact that we’re gonna go to some fancy-ass five star resort, have a shit-ton of amenities and a pool and sauna. Nothing’s gonna get us because we’re gonna have every protection under the book. We’ll have a giant area to roam around instead of Bobby’s small-ass house and everyone’s gonna have more privacy. I’m a _demon_ and I even know these are good things.”

 

“They’re such small things though, compared to everything else that’s wrong.”

 

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you then, Sam. You’re gonna have to find the small things in this hell-hole. How about being happy that we’re all not in Hell? Trust me, that’s a whole lot worse than this, I can tell you all…”

 

“Dean.” Sam’s voice broke. He was looking at his brother with the most heartbreaking expression, but it seemed like Dean finally got through to him. “I didn’t think…you’re right. I’m sorry. What you had to go through…”

 

With a sigh, Dean cut him off. “Enough. And you want to know the one thing that I am actually thrilled about? That makes everything fucking worth it?”

 

Sam tilted his head, looking interested. “What?”

 

“Having you, you freak-ass. We still have each other, so everything’s still worth it. Or at least it is for me.”

 

Dean had to say it. No matter what shit happened, going to hell, getting shot, any pain he went through was worth it because he had Sam. But maybe having Dean wasn’t enough for Sam. Maybe he’d always want more, wouldn’t find living in this world worth it just because he still had his brother. Dean probably wasn’t as important to…

 

“It is Dean, god, it is. So worth it. You know I couldn’t do this without you. I couldn’t…I don’t even want to think about….” Sam swallowed. “I’m sorry. I just get caught up in things sometimes, thinking about how all this bad stuff isn’t gonna end. But that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful and happy to have you by my side Dean, not at all. Me and you fighting side-by-side, we won’t give up.”

 

“Damn right.” Dean understood in a sense what Sam was talking about. Even though he wasn’t capable of feeling that gloominess that Sam felt, Dean knew his brother well enough to understand his feelings. He figured his brother’s emotions and thoughts like this were what made him human, so that it was probably a good thing. Dean just wished there was an ‘off’ switch sometimes to get Sam out of his stupid funks.

 

“Now,” Dean focused toward the closet. “Stop whining and moping and help me look for some useful dead-people items to take.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“THERE’S A MONSTER OUTSIDE MY WINDOW!”

 

Dean startled awake at the sound of Aiden’s screams. The kid suddenly came bursting into the living room, crying hysterically. When the kid saw that Dean was awake, he tackled him, clutching at Dean’s chest.

 

“Dean! It’s going to eat us!!”

 

“What the hell are you screaming about?” Dean shoved Aiden off of him, standing up quickly. Sam was up now too, looking alert and ready to fight.

 

“Is there a Croat, Aiden?” Sam asked.

 

A noise broke through the night, as if something was ramming its body against the house.

 

“No! It’s a scary monster! Like from the storybooks!”

 

Members of the group started to rushout into the living room as well in order to see the cause of the commotion. A high-pitched scream was heard and Lexi sprinted into the room, her face full of terror.

 

“There’s…there’s some fucking thing trying to break in here!”

 

Bobby was up and rushing over to one of the windows. A loud growl-type noise came from outside. It was like something out of a horror movie.

 

“I can’t see it yet, but…damnit!” Bobby cursed. “There’s a hoard of Croats coming too, either from all this noise or because they followed whatever is attacking us.”

 

Dean wanted to just teleport outside, but there was no saying what this thing was and if there were demons behind this, demons that could actually hurt him.

 

Ruby teleported into the room, causing people to startle even more. Her clothes were ripped and there was a large gash in her side.

 

“I was just outside and in a damn second, this happened to me. There’s five wendigos out there!”

 

Dean and Sam shared a look. “Fucking wendigos don’t come out into the country!” Dean knew this wasn’t typical behavior for them.

 

“They live in forests, and they usually live and hunt alone, not in packs,” Sam added.

 

“Exactly!” Ruby said. “This is what I’m talking about with the fucked-up monsters!”

 

“Well this is just fucking great!” Dean growled. The sound of Croat’s moaning was now combined with the wendigos’ growls. “The only way to kill those fucking things is with fire.”

 

“Dean.” Sam was pulling on his brother’s arm urgently. “Can’t you start fire? Remember how you showed me with my boots?”

 

“Yeah, but not a lot and with a rabid wendigo, my aim might be off and I could waste energy. They need to be blasted with it anyway. Where’s Freddie when ya need him,” he answered dryly.

 

“I can create a bigger fire than Dean,” Ruby stated. “You know, older demon, plus witch powers.”

 

“Okay, go, do that.” Dean told her. “I’ll try and get some of those Croats.”

 

If Dean wanted to get his brother out safe, not to mention all these people, most of them who weren’t skilled with shooting, then they had to get rid of some of these monsters.

 

“Dean, no!” Sam shook his head. “The wendigos could get you.”

 

“So? They can’t kill me. I’ll act as a distraction to some of them while Ruby offs them one at a time. While I’m doing that, I’ll rip some Croats’ heads off.” Dean reached in his duffle and found the machete he was looking for. “I’m not discussing this Sam. I’m going, you stay here.” Then as an afterthought, he thought of everyone else. He should probably give them directions too. “Everyone, stay inside and don’t go near the fucking windows.”

 

 

“Dean…,” Sam started, happy when Dean decided to turn to face him, instead of teleporting outside and ignoring him. “Just, be careful please. I don’t think I could stand to see you get hurt again.”

 

He couldn’t do it. Not after what Dean just suffered through. It wasn’t that Sam was tired of helping take care of Dean after he was injured, that was far from the truth, he would be there for Dean willingly whenever his brother needed him. The thing was that Sam was sick and tired of seeing Dean hurt; it ate him up inside worse than knowing the world was going to hell did.

 

Dean seemed to understand what Sam was conveying. “I’ll be fine. If it gets too bad I’ll come back.”

 

“You promise me?”

 

Dean sighed. “You know I don’t lie to you.” He then smirked, the glint in his black eyes that read he was excited and ready for a hunt. It had always been there before, when Dean was human; he had yearned for the hunt and found pleasure in it. That was still there, but now, there was something more primitive, more feral in his eyes. He physically needed the hunt, to release his anger and aggression; he needed to let out that frustration that Hell had created in him. And Dean’s solution to this was to kill monsters. It worked, and Sam was all for it.

 

So yeah, he knew why Dean had to go out there, but it didn’t stop him from wishing he could keep his brother safe from any potential harm, especially out there and without Sam as backup. Ruby was strong, yeah, but not trustworthy, and she didn’t know Dean like Sam did. She couldn’t read him and fight smoothly beside him like Sam could.

 

Aiden tugged on Sam’s shirt, startling him.

 

“Is Dean going to be okay?”

 

“He’ll be fine.” Sam smiled for Aiden’s benefit. “If it’s too dangerous, he’ll come back inside. Don’t worry.” He glanced over at the window; he should keep an eye on what was happening, in case Dean was in trouble. “Now stay here, I’m going to look out the window.”

 

“But Dean said not to!”

 

“I know that, but I’m being an annoying little brother and not listening.” Sam smiled and saw Marcy standing behind them. “I have to make sure he’s okay. Now go see Marcy, okay? We’re probably going to leave soon, so she’ll help you get ready.”

 

As Aiden turned to walk towards Marcy, Sam headed over to the closest window.

 

Ruby wasn’t kidding. They were ‘in deep shit’, as Dean would say. From his viewpoint, Sam could see two wendigos. One of them was being blasted with fire from Ruby’s powers. The other turned around, leaving its fellow monster to burn to death, and began sprinting in the other direction.

 

Which was right toward Dean, who was busy beheading several Croats.


	9. Chapter 9

"Dean!" Sam couldn't help himself from crying out.

He was shocked when Dean looked up and turned around. There was no way Dean could have heard him from this distance. It was almost like Dean had felt Sam's panic. There were a few other instances like this that had happened in the past year where Sam felt he and his brother were…connected in a way. More than usual. Sam felt like at times there was this link between them, or maybe it always was there, below the surface.

Sam assumed it was related to the demon blood, Dean's blood. It would make sense. He hadn't brought it up to his brother but he knew Dean could feel it too. Anyway, it wasn't dangerous in the slightest, it only seemed to be another way they could protect each other.

Which was what it did right at that moment. Dean was able to turn around before the wendigo pounced at him. He teleported about ten feet behind it, holding his hand out. Sam watched as the wendigo started on fire.

It wasn't enough, not nearly enough, to kill the thing. But it was in pain, screeching loudly, hopefully distracted for the time being.

Wishful thinking. It wasn't long after Dean started the thing on fire and began beheading a few more Croats that another wendigo shot out of the bushes. Sam hadn't even seen it and in the blink of an eye, it had Dean pinned to the ground.

Dean was strong, supernaturally strong…but so was this wendigo. He seemed to be trying to use his powers against it, but the creature grabbed Dean by the shoulders and slammed him into the ground repeatedly. It reached one claw like hand up in the air and brought it down, slashing his chest.

"Dean! Shit!" Sam cursed and noticed that a large horde of Croats was forming around the two battling supernatural creatures, they were attracted to the wendigo on fire, and as they wandered over they saw the commotion with Dean, leading them to change course.

Sam watched as Dean went to grab for his fallen machete, but kept missing it. It was then that Sam remembered that his brother's sight was still off…

"Shit! I shouldn't have ever let him go out there!" Sam pushed himself away from the window and saw that someone had moved the couch in front of the front door. He began pushing it away, desperate to get to his brother…

"Sam! You can't open that door!" It was Booby that spoke and grabbed at the younger hunter's shoulders, trying to pull him away.

"They're surrounding Dean! He's in trouble!"

"He'll be okay; if it's too bad, he can teleport back inside!" Bobby attempted to calm Sam down.

"I know that, he told me he would, but he isn't and he needs help…"

"Chill out there Sammy."

Sam turned around to see Dean standing in the middle of the room, his shirt torn open and face bloody. A few people startled, and Aiden ran up to Dean and hugged his legs tightly.

"Dean…" Sam let out a sigh of relief and walked closer to his brother. "Are you okay?"

Dean glanced down at the large, deep gashes on his chest and shrugged. "These things will heal in a few minutes, I'm fine." He then narrowed his eyes at Sam. "I told you I'd come back if it was too much."

"I know, I…"

Dean didn't let Sam finish. "Alright, new plan. I told Ruby she has to create a distraction. She's going to set the barn on fire. Hopefully, that will lead away some of the Croats while she tries to finish off the wendigos."

"What the hell is a wendigo!?" Lexi asked, her face pale.

Dean rolled his eyes at the woman. "Obviously those things out there trying to kill us. This isn't the time for explanation. Ruby's the only one that has a shot at killing them. We have to make for the forest." Dean pointed south-east. "Hopefully we can lose them. The main thing is to just keep running but to stick together. You get lost and I'm not going out of my way to find and rescue you."

Some of the kids started sniffling and crying, they didn't want to go outside. Heather was clutching her son to her chest and stared Dean down.

"We'd be safer in here! I'm not taking my son out there."

Dean huffed but didn't stop from grabbing the duffle bags and making sure everything was inside them. "You want to stay? Go ahead lady. No one's stopping you. Don't scream for help when those monsters break through the door or windows."

Sam walked over to Heather and touched her shoulder. Maybe some kindness would help her understand that she couldn't stay here. "Heather, this is our best shot. If you stay here with Peter, even if the wendigos and Croats follow us and leave the area…you'll be all alone."

"I can take care of myself," she announced stubbornly. Sam heard Dean bark out a laugh.

"I don't think any of us could last long on our own," Sam replied calmly. "We're used to being a team. You wouldn't have food or water here. When we leave, we're heading to that hotel. It's only about three more hours on foot. It could be less if we hurry. We'll have everything we need there, and more."

Heather still looked unconvinced, but it didn't seem like she wanted to be left here alone any longer. She must have realized that no one else was speaking up, demanding that they stay. "Out there, we'll be chased by them. We could die."

"And you'd die left here too. It's a better shot leaving. Ruby's distracting the wendigos and trying to kill them off. Me and Dean will try to hold off the Croats if they come near, with Dean and his strength and powers, that's a real advantage for…"

"Sammy, forget her!" Dean grumbled. "You're wasting time talking to a brick wall. We have to leave in a few minutes, come on. Let's make sure we have everything we need."

Sam turned away from Heather, letting her make her own choice. He saw that everyone else was busy packing frantically, not wasting any time discussing. They just wanted to get to safety. Dean was right; they couldn't waste time trying to convince anyone.

When push came to shove, Heather would either panic and stay, or leave with the rest of them.

They gathered everything they would need. Luckily, no one had emptied their duffles so the only things they had to pack were useful items found in the house. The one person that wasn't helping was Heather, who continued to hold Peter in her arms and rock him back and forth.

Apparently, she had decided to stay here.

"Would it be better for us to leave in smaller groups?" Marcy asked, breaking the silence. "Three or four at a time?"

"No, we all go at once." Dean answered. "Ruby might not be able to distract them for too long so we can't waste time leaving. I don't think I'm strong enough to teleport everyone out one at a time either. So we're leaving this way, the faster we all get out the better. Everyone ready?"

There were nods across the room and no one spoke. Sam glanced at Dean, silently asking his brother to announce how they were going to leave.

"Alright, we'll go out in a line. Bobby, you lead and Jody, you take the back. Me and Sam will walk along either side. Keep the kids in the middle." Dean paused, looking at the group. "Come on! What are you waiting for? Form the line!"

Sam got into action and began helping some of the shell-shocked survivors, telling them where they should stand in line, facing the back door they would be leaving from. He was almost done when there was a loud pounding against the front door. And then another. It sounded like the door was going to come crashing down.

"Wait! I'll come!" Heather pushed herself right into the middle of the line, getting an angry black-eyed glare from Dean in response.

"Okay, we need to hurry the hell out of here." Dean opened the door and looked around for a few moments. "I think we're clear. Keep your eyes open and move fast. If there's something coming at you, yell my name. Just don't stop, 'cause I'm not waiting around for you."

With that, Dean threw open the door completely. As Bobby walked past him into the outside world, he put a hand on his shoulder and sent a proud smile his way.

Sam saw the confused reaction on Dean's face from the smile, but Sam knew perfectly well what Bobby's gesture meant. Bobby was proud of the way Dean was handling this situation. The older brother was showing so much growth since coming back as a demon. He may have darkness in him, but he still had a hell of a lot of good too. Dean was being the leader he always had been, he was saving these people's lives. He may be harsher about it than he used to be, but he was still the hero he always had been.

Dean turned away from Bobby, letting him outside, and motioned for everyone else to hurry and follow.

As they made their way through the field that led to the forest, Dean guarded the group on the left and Sam took the right, both of them with their guns drawn. Bobby and Jody also had guns. The noise of a gun going off would alert more Croats, but what else could they do if one was charging toward them? Hopefully Ruby's distractions would hold the monsters at bay.

Halfway to the forest, a few Croats noticed them and started wandering toward them. Luckily, these were slower ones. Sam wasn't sure why some were faster than others and Dean wasn't either. Some would also seem to be slow and confused, and then suddenly jump up, sprinting at their prey.

"Don't shoot," Dean ordered. "Only if they're runners or they get too close. We're walking too fast for them to catch up."

A howl from a wendigo pierced the air, and Dean ordered everyone to move faster. As they entered the forest, Sam heard a few people breathe a sigh of relief. Heather put Peter down on the ground, probably thinking they were going to stop.

"Don't get too comfy, we're not safe yet," Dean urged them to keep going. "We got to get further before we even…"

Sam saw the movement from the corner of his eye before he even heard the groaning. A sprinting Croat was heading right toward little Peter.

It happened so fast. Sam knew he had to react. He remembered Dean's warning not to jump into danger, but this time his brother had his gun out and ready. Sam dove towards Peter, sliding on the ground with the boy and heard a gunshot go off just a moment later.

Sitting up, Sam held the young boy in his arms as he began to cry. When he looked around, Dean still had his gun pointed at the place the Croat had stood. Heather was on the ground, hysterical, and some of the kids were panicking while the adults tried to calm them down.

But no one had been bitten.

"Everybody shut up!" Dean hissed in a quiet but stern voice. "You're gonna attract more of them! And when there's one sprinter, there's usually more. Come on, let's get out of here!"

Dean walked over toward Sam and Peter, eyes only on his brother. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Sam stood up and helped the young boy to his feet. "I'm…"

Suddenly, Heather reached out, grabbing her son by the hand. "I can't do this anymore! We're going to get killed! That thing almost got my boy!"

"We just saved your asses and you're gonna take your chances on your own?" Dean growled in disbelief. "If it weren't for me and my brother, you'd both be dead!"

Heather just kept shaking her head rapidly; it was obvious that she wasn't listening to reason.

"Heather…," Sam decided to try. "No matter where you go, there's going to be the threats of Croats, demons and other monsters. Your best shot is with my brother and I. You'll have protection that you won't have anywhere else, least of all by yourself."

"I…I can't!" She was still crying and began to back up slowly. "I didn't even want to go. But I followed you and my son almost died. This isn't safe, we're being led into danger…there's too many of us, I'm better off on my own."

"Heather…," Bobby spoke up from where he was kneeling next to a few crying kids. "Don't do this…"

But she already turned around, dragging her crying son with her and running quickly out of sight.

"That crying…" Bobby stood up. "It's going to attract the Croats."

"That's her loss." Dean mumbled.

"We should go after her…," Sam started.

"What, and leave everyone else here? She's erratic Sam, already made her choice." Dean turned towards the rest of the group. "Okay, let's get going again before that crying brings more…"

A woman's yell interrupted Dean's order, followed by another scream for help. It was Heather.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me…" Dean mumbled.

"Dean, we have to…" Sam began, he couldn't leave her. Not when she needed them.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Dean rolled his eyes, not looking eager to see what Heather had gotten into.

"I'll watch over them," Bobby announced. "You two go on, be careful and hurry back."

 

Dean headed toward the sound of the noise and grabbed Sam's arm. "Come on, let's get this over with. Stay close to me damnit. I really don't want to do this."

"We could save her. Can't you teleport us?" Sam asked his brother.

"What do you think, I somehow know her location? I can only teleport to places that I know, stupid." Dean rolled his eyes and began running towards the screams, dragging Sam with him.

Sam forgot about that. Of course Dean didn't know where in the forest Heather could be. He had to remember that Dean couldn't do everything; he wasn't as strong as a lot of the demons they hunted.

"Anyway," Dean continued. "She's probably already bitten."

"We don't know that." Sam had to stay positive or he felt like he'd go insane.

"We're risking you getting hurt for some weirdo…" Dean came to a halt and held out his arm to stop his brother. "Well, shit."

Sam followed Dean's line of vision to see Heather hitting a Croat in the head with a rock desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks. But that wasn't what had Sam feeling ill. Lying on the ground next to them was a crying Peter, with several very obvious bite marks on his arm.

"I knew there would be more sprinters…," was Dean's hollow response. He walked over to the Croat, pushed Heather away with his powers, and then shot the monster in the head. He then turned his gun on the little boy.

"No! What are you doing?!" Heather jumped up.

"He's bitten, obviously. He's gonna turn," Dean stated. He was being cold about it, but Sam knew his brother was right. It was better to let Peter go now rather than watching him suffer and eventually turning into a monster. He doubted Heather would understand that though.

"He's my son! I should be able to make that decision for him!" Heather cried, kneeling down to be by her son.

"I wouldn't touch that wound. You have any open sores and you'll get it…" Dean sighed and seemed to lose his patience. "Okay, get up, we can't stay."

Dean grabbed Heather by the arm and pulled her up. Suddenly, it was as if something snapped in her. She reached out and smacked Dean across the face, trying with all her might to get out of his grasp, tears streaming down her face. It was when she began scratching Dean's cheeks that the older brother let go.

"I don't have time for this shit." Dean shook his head and turned away from her. The human Dean would have kept trying, would have done everything he could to convince Heather to join them. Now, Dean didn't see it worth to keep trying. He had attempted once and she refused, and that was that.

At least Dean had tried.

Sam could hear a few more groans, probably the Croats from the farmhouse who were now bored of the burning barn, coming their way. He took one last look at Heather and Peter, knowing what fate was waiting for them.

"I'm sorry Heather. I'm so sorry," Sam told her, unsure if she even heard his words as she held her son in her arms and rocked back and forth.

"Sam, come on." Dean grabbed a hold of his brother's arm, and just as Sam was about to start running back to the group, Dean teleported them there.

The faces that awaited them held the same grimness as Sam's.

"Kid got bitten, lady wouldn't come back," Dean said stiffly. "I suggest you stay with the group if you don't want to end up like them."

With that, they were off again.

 

Ruby joined them five minutes later, all bloody. Apparently, she had been able to kill off several wendigos, but there were still two out there.

They walked with only pee breaks. The rest of the two and a half hours were spent mostly in silence. It was better that way, easier to hear if there were any enemies coming their way.

The walk wasn't a big deal for Sam, but it was exhausting for some of the other survivors. They weren't used to all this exercise, used to the comfort and safety of Bobby's place. Hopefully this resort would be even safer.

Ruby suddenly stopped walking, her wounds, as well as Dean's, were long ago healed. She pointed in front of them. They were out in the open farmland now, ignoring the roads cutting across farms in order to save time. In the distance, Sam could see a large building. He let himself smile, and saw that everyone else was as well. Finally, people began to talk as excited chatting filled the group.

"Who the hell builds a resort in the middle of nowhere farmland?" Dean stated, but picked up his pace at the same time.

"It is on a three-way state border. This was going to be an up and coming area with more attractions. They were probably hoping to get the people from all the cities within a few hours to come down. I guess it would have added something to do in an area that had nothing."

"Most importantly," Bobby added in. "It adds safety for us. Much safer than being in a city."

"I'll tell you one thing. Me and Sammy are getting the presidential suite. Damn, I hope it has a jacuzzi."

Surprisingly, no one complained.

 

Dean was giddy as they finally approached the resort. Ruby had brought along a little brochure because she had known that Dean would be asking all about it.

He had to have read that thing five times on their trip. An outdoor pool, an indoor one with a spa and hot tub, a golf course. This was going to be sweet. With Ruby's freaky witch powers and spells, she insisted that the pools were operating and clean. She also said she had the hotel proofed against any enemies. As for demons…the brothers had lent her the spellbook a few months ago, the one that had allowed Dean within Bobby's house despite the demon-protections. This way, both he and Ruby could go in and out, but no other demon could.

Now, they'd finally be able to start something. Maybe this would actually make Sam happy.

Ruby tapped some code on the front door and a teenage girl answered. She looked warily at the group of survivors.

"Are these the people you've been talking about?" she asked Ruby. It was odd to see people trusting Ruby and not them. But it made sense, since Ruby had gathered her own survivors. Maybe this showed that Ruby wouldn't do anything stupid and stay on their side.

"Yeah, now step back and let us through." Ruby shoved the girl to the side as everyone filtered through. As soon as they did, the girl rushed to close the doors; there were a series of complicated locks, which looked to be enhanced by magic.

"Which one of you is the demon?" The girl put her hands on her hips and Dean suddenly noticed the gun holster she had attached to her waist. Other than Ruby, she seemed to be one in charge.

Ugh, it was happening again. Dean would have to tell everyone he was a demon and deal with people getting all nervous around him.

"Me," Dean announced, stepping forward out of the group. He noticed how Sam followed him. "And I better not get any shit. I've more than proved myself."

If the girl was surprised by Dean's black eyes, she sure didn't show it.

"And I'm his brother," Sam stated, standing next to Dean. "Will you be okay with him staying here? He's a good man."

The girl looked at him for a bit and then back at Dean. "The rest of my group probably won't believe that, but I do. If he was evil, he wouldn't have helped out your entire group."

"Good, 'cause me and my brother are getting the Presidential Suite," Dean spoke up, getting impatient as he stared at the girl. She'd have to listen to a demon! "Where is it?"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't intimidate me, nice try." Turning around, she walked over to the abandoned service desk and went through a few drawers. "The top floor. You'll need this."

The girl walked right up to Dean and handed him the card, looking straight into his black eyes the entire time.

Dean snatched the card from her, unsure how to handle someone that didn't seem nervous of turned to Sam. "Come on, I'm about to go crazy if I don't get time to myself."

As they were walking toward the elevator, Dean could hear a few people speaking up about him. He heard Bobby telling them that "Dean is my boy" and also the teenage boy stating that "Dean saved us all". Huh, so they were making sure the girl knew how awesome he was? Good.

"This place…it's amazing! It's awesome that Ruby could enchant that generator to make it strong enough to power this whole building." Sam exclaimed. "With the electricity working in here, it's almost as if it's still in use."

"It is in use." Dean huffed and pressed the button for the elevator. "It's our place now." He wasn't even bothering checking out the hotel at the moment or looking around like Sam was doing. He was tired and just wanted to get to their new room and sleep for two days. Then he'd go exploring.

The elevator dinged and they scanned their card, pressing the button to go up to the seventh floor.

"So…" Sam was squinting at the buttons and the text next to them. "Seventh floor has the two founder's suites. And the sixth floor has the concierge lounge that we'll have access too, and the other high-end suites."

"Consie…what? What kind of language is that?"

Sam laughed as the elevator came to a stop. "It's like an executive luxury lounge that only the rich people who could afford the top suites got access to."

The doors opened to reveal a very fancy looking wide hallway with a small lounge area that contained couches, chairs, and a few fake potted plants. There were two doors on either side of the hall.

"I say we take right," Dean said and walked over to the door. He was getting excited to see how nice this suite was going to be.

"Who do you think will take the other suite?" Sam asked.

"The only other person I would want sharing our floor is Bobby. He'll probably bring Jody along." Dean wagged his eyebrows. "And maybe they'll let a couple of the kids stay in there with them."

Finally, he figured out how to work the card and the brothers stepped inside. Sam went for the light switch but Dean closed his eyes and concentrated, filling the whole suite with light.

"Holy shit!" Dean exclaimed happily. They were standing in a foyer with a glass table with giant vases on it dividing the two open archways to the rest of the suite. He ran towards the right archway, frowning when he saw it was an office, complete with a Mac computer and an empty bookshelf. At least it had a TV, hopefully there were some DVDs lying around here. All of Dean's had burned at Bobby's.

"Okay, you take right and geek out, I'll take left."

Sam peered into the room as well, a huge grin spreading over his face. It was good to see the kid smile again. "For once Dean, your childish amusement actually makes sense."

"Well I just hope there's something better on the left side."

Oh, there was. There was a living room with a flat screen TV, a nice stereo system, a long white leather couch with blankets and pillows covering it. Oh, and a real lounge chair….he was going to spend a lot of time in that thing. Much to Dean's pleasure, there was also a stack of DVDs in the drawer under the TV. He was checking out the titles of the movies when Sam called out to him.

"Dean! Look at this!"

Sam was grinning as he showed Dean the bedroom, memory foam, top of the line pillows, a small futon at the base of the bed and yet another TV. There ended up being two bedrooms, same size and layout. But the bathrooms were an even better story…

"Sammy, I'm never gonna leave that jacuzzi."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Of course you won't. Especially because there's a DVD player built into the TV in the bathroom. Who the hell puts a TV in the bathroom?"

"Wish that architect was still alive so I could hug him." Dean turned the water on the jacuzzi on. Thank goodness Ruby hexed the hotel water tank or whatever, they'd never run out of fresh water.

"Yeah, you'd suffer through a hug to thank someone for encouraging your laziness." Sam ran a hand over the marble countertop. The weird modern sink looked untouched, the towels felt almost plush, and there was even a huge vanity mirror.

"There you go, there's your makeup station, Samantha." Dean laughed as he messed with the buttons for the jaccuzzi.

"Shut it," Sam spat, but he was still smiling the whole time. Suddenly, his face transformed into full-on puppy dog mode and Dean internally groaned. "Hey, I never asked how your sight was. In the fight with the wendigo…"

"Yes, yes. I couldn't find my machete. No need to bring up one of my few failures." Dean snickered when Sam huffed at his statement. "It's still blurry, but slowly getting better. I think it will be back to normal tomorrow."

"Okay, good." Sam was beginning to go into worry mode, Dean could sense it. "But your bad arm, you probably put too much stress on it in the fight, you should…"

"Oh man! This is fucking awesome!" Dean interrupted Sam's worry-fest and grinned, watching in fascination as the jets sprang to life under the water of the jacuzzi.

"Oh god, looks like you'll be sleeping in here tonight." Sam groaned, forgetting what he had been talking about before, too pleased with his brother's hapiness. "If you even get off the toilet…did you see they have a heated toilet seat?"

"You're shitting me!"

"Nope. Good thing there's two bathrooms too. You'd never get off your throne, big brother."

Dean checked out the toilet. "It's cushioned too!"

"Uh huh, and this shower…I've never seen anything like it, even at Crowley's. It's got two of those waterfall heads and then a handheld one…"

"Oh man, so I'm taking a nice long shit, a hot shower and then chilling in that thing." Dean pointed to the jacuzzi.

"Dude, that's disgusting. Stop. How about you step out of here for a minute and check out your second favorite place, the kitchen?"

Well, damn. Dean couldn't turn that down.

 

The kitchen was fully equipped. It even came with a full supply of pots, pans, silverware and bowls. Sure, they'd eat down at the restaurant Ruby said had been converted into a cafeteria at times. But Dean was happy to know that they could store their own food here if they wanted. Too bad there weren't frozen pizzas anymore…he would have loved to stick one in the oven right now…

Couldn't worry about that. At least the fridge could store Sam's blood water bottles, which Dean was transferring from his duffle right now.

"Drink one in a bit," he told his brother, closing the fridge door.

Sam nodded. "Nice table," he commented from the dining area. It was glass with nice modern dining chairs. "This whole place is like…the opposite of our style."

"Yeah, but it's damn nice." Dean stated, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. He peered out at the balcony there. It was large, filled with lounge chairs. He and Sam also had smaller balconies attached to their separate bedrooms. Each had a great view of the small lake below. "We more than deserve it after all the shit we've been through."

"Oh, I know. I'm not complaining at all. Still, we should dress it up a bit to make it more homey."

"Yeah, too sterile. Don't worry; by tomorrow my clothes will be thrown all over the floor and I'll have weapons hanging up on the wall."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Exactly what I was thinking," he said sarcastically. "We should shower and go downstairs to talk with Bobby and them. Maybe we can get some pattern working out for life here. Assign jobs for everyone. Focus on a plan to figure out what's going on with the monsters."

"And we've got to go looking for supplies," Dean reminded him. "And this place has to have a garage right? We've got to get Baby and bring her here. She's been in that storage garage for way too long…" Dean was getting antsy just thinking of his poor car. He needed to relax, and that jacuzzi was calling his name… "Don't except me to head downstairs for another two hours," he threw over his shoulder as he walked into his new favorite room.

 

Sam couldn't blame his brother, the shower was amazing. He didn't try out the jacuzzi just yet but he would in time. After an extremely long shower, Sam decided to unpack his duffle. He folded his clothes into the dresser, unsure of what to do with the massive walk-in closet. Maybe they'd store their weapons in there. With that thought, he tossed his weapons duffle in the empty area. He'd sort that out later.

He got to the bottom of his other duffle, finding his belongings he'd scavenged from Bobby's place that were special to him. He placed them throughout his new bedroom, mostly pictures, one of him and Bobby from years ago, one of Jess that still hurt looking at, and then a picture that Bobby had snapped of him and Dean. They were both laughing about something, Dean's black eyes shining and Sam's head tilted back. Sam couldn't remember what had been so funny, and it made him happy that there were so many moments that he couldn't quite place this one. Who would have guessed that Dean turning into a demon would lead to the brothers having more happiness and fun times between them, rather than pain and drama?

Sam shook his head fondly, placing this photo on his nightstand rather than on top of the dresser. He grabbed several of his books he had been able to save and walked out of his bedroom, heading into his new office. There, he filled the bookshelves and placed another picture, the one Bobby had taken of he and Dean on Thanksgiving, next to the computer. He couldn't do much with the computer because of the lack of internet, of course. But Sam figured he could transfer some of the games he had on his laptop to the computer, maybe then, Dean wouldn't hate the office so much.

The thought of his brother had Sam wondering when he'd be ready. He walked through the living room and stopped at Dean's bathroom. The door was partially opened so he knocked. When there was no answer, Sam couldn't help but unrationally worry as he stepped inside.

Of course, he should have figured.

Dean was passed out, dressed only in his boxers and amulet, lying in the jacuzzi tub. He had the TV playing one of his stupid DVD comedy movies. His snoring was heard over the sound of the jacuzzi jets, and Dean's too-long hair was half dry from his earlier shower, sticking up in weird places.

Sam chuckled, wishing he had a camera so he could humiliate Dean with this scene later. He stepped out of the bathroom; he'd give Dean another ten minutes before he woke him. His brother deserved that much, at least.

Dean had been right the other day, no matter what other shit was heading their way, as long as they had each other, everything was worth it.

 

I hope everyone is still enjoying. Feel free to tell me what you think, or things you want to see. I'm a little worried that people have stopped reading, and I might just drop this story and not continue it anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

_I apologize for the delay, work has been super busy these last few weeks with triple the projects coming in! But here's an extra long chapter to make up for the wait :)_

* * *

Sam gave Dean more than enough time to prune up his skin in the jacuzzi. He finally decided to walk in and didn't hold back as he grabbed Dean by the shoulders and dunked him under the warm water.

Dean rose to the surface, spluttering and coughing, his hands flailing. "What the fuck, what's going on?" Rubbing his eyes, he finally blinked at Sam, his glare hard. "What the hell!"

"Get up! I've let you sleep longer than you should've, because I'm a great brother. You can lounge in here all you want after we talk with Bobby and the rest of the group."

"How do you know they even want to talk now?" Dean grumbled, shaking his hair like a wet dog and splattering Sam's shirt with water.

"Did you really have to do that?" Sam sighed and tossed Dean a towel. "Anyway, he called our room to let us know. He's meeting on the concierge lounge with the rest of our group."

"He called us? The phones work?"

"They work within the building network. Neat, right? Never thought I'd talk on the phone again. Now, get dressed and come on." Sam walked out of the bathroom to wait for his brother.

A few minutes later, Dean finally emerged, his hair wet but not dripping and…dressed in a bath robe?

"Don't you have a fresh pair of clothes?"

"Yep." Dean smirked and walked toward the foyer. "I thought you wanted to hurry?"

"You can't be serious. You're gonna go down there in that?"

"Hell yeah, it's fuzzy warm. And soft."

"You're ridiculous." Sam shook his head as he followed his brother out of the room.

"Don't you know it." Dean stopped suddenly. "Hey, wait a minute, why are we taking the elevator?"

Sam stopped. "I thought we'd take the stairs."

Dean walked over to him, grabbing his brother's shoulder. Why wait for elevators when your brother could just teleport?

For once, no one looked too spooked when the brothers randomly appeared out of thin air. Even the teenage girl just cocked her head to the side. The entire group was sitting in the lounge, including the kids. Only Ruby was nowhere to be found.

"You couldn't bother to change?" the girl stated, taking in Dean's robe.

Bobby turned from where he had been chatting with Jody and audibly sighed. "Really? Really, Dean?"

"That's what I said." Sam laughed. He felt at ease finally. At least everyone was picking on his brother for being weird, instead of for being a demon.

"Chill, I have shorts and a t-shirt on under this. Although…I'm so gorgeous that I don't think anyone would mind…"

"Dean!" Sam shoved his brother, glaring at him for being so nasty.

"What? The women love a messy-haired, bathrobe-clad man."

"Not one with black eyes," the teenager spoke up, folding her arms. Although there may have been a hint of amusement in her face.

"You'd be surprised. I bet I already have some plans for tomorrow night." Dean grinned wickedly, searching out for someone, before his eyes fell on Lexi, who blushed but looked excitedly eager.

"Okay…I really don't want to know about this." The teenage girl looked uncomfortable about the fact that a demon and a human were going to hook up, but she wasn't exactly disgusted by it. "We're supposed to be talking about our roles here."

"What's your name?" Sam asked before anyone else could talk. "I never caught it."

"Sadie," she answered. "And you and your brother are…I can't remember what Ruby told me."

"I'm Sam, and that weirdo is Dean."

"Okay, Sam, Dean, you guys should sit down." She gestured toward the many tables and chairs that were in the lounge. Dean immediately went towards the comfiest looking chair and sat down, kicking back his slippered feet so they were on the table.

Sam rolled his eyes and went to sit at the table with his brother. He was slightly wondering how Sadie, a teenage girl, became in charge of this place. But she sure had the personality and an authoritative, yet understanding tone. Perhaps she was just born to be a leader and the other survivors took note of this and followed her lead.

"Okay, so you two missed the list I made." Sadie pointed to a giant pad of paper on a display easel. She had written down the newcomers' names and next to them, were tasks that they would be in charge of.

"You're gonna assign us jobs?" Dean huffed. "I'm gonna decide what I want to do, not some bratty teenager."

Sadie glared at Dean, obviously not taking any of his shit. "If you would have let me continue smart ass, you'd have learned that everyone gets to choose what they want to do."

Dean actually had the nerve to look embarrassed, causing Sam to snicker.

Sadie crossed her arms. "Well? Dean? What will it be then? What do you want to do?"

Dean looked at Sam for help.

"Dude, you're the one that yelled at her because you wanted to choose yourself. Don't look at me."

"Uh…I don't know."

"You've got to be kidding me." Sadie rolled her eyes and a number of people in the room laughed.

"I don't know what the hell kinda jobs there are to do." Dean folded his arms across his chest. "Tell me."

"Well…you're a hunter, right? And a demon. You can't get killed or infected. How about you go out and look in the farm houses nearby for supplies and materials."

"Only if my brother can come with me."

"Of course." Sadie then looked at Sam. "If that's even what you want to do Sam. You can do whatever you want."

"No," Sam said quickly. "I want to work with my brother. And I'm a hunter too. Dean and I were the ones that got supplies back at Bobby's."

"Okay, good." Sadie wrote down the brothers' names and their tasks next to it. "So that settles our tasks. Everyone has to work three days a week, at least. I'll talk with my group and sort things out and then I'll tell you guys tomorrow which days you're assigned."

"Do you guys have a car?" Dean spoke up. Sam wondered why he was asking the question.

Sadie paused. "Yeah, there's a bit of them in the downstairs garage. We start them up now and then and they have a fair amount of gas. But we want to avoid driving around this area as much as possible in case we attract…."

"I'm not talking about driving it to the farms nearby to collect shit. I want to take one to go back into town."

"Dean…!" Sam started to say.

"Why would you want to go back there?" Marcy squealed.

"You are NOT going back into there!" Bobby practically yelled. "We're safe here, there's no reason to!"

"Everyone, chill!" Dean raised his voice, and the lights in the room flickered quickly, once. That got everyone to shut up.

"I need to go back into town to get my car. It's locked in a storage unit, along with more gasoline and weapons and shit. I think it's best if I bring it all here now since this is safest. And on my way, I can check out the wreckage at Bobby's and see if there's anything salvageable."

"Dean, we just got here…" Sam began to protest. They had to get settled here for a little while before jumping into any more action.

"Relax, Sammy. I'm not talking about now. In a few days, maybe a week."

"I'm coming with you."

"Sammy…"

"Your brother's right." Bobby's voice was stern. "The idea is good, but you're not going there alone. No one should go anywhere alone anymore."

"Okay, okay fine." Dean rolled his eyes. "But can we leave this stupid meeting now?"

Sadie glared at him. "No, you cannot leave 'this stupid meeting'. I'll let you go soon enough and you can sleep or whatever it is you demons do. I want to go over some rules we have here."

Sadie pulled out another giant sheet of paper with a bullet point list. Sam felt like he was back in college and he tried not to laugh when Dean groaned.

"You're gonna get us in trouble," he whispered to his brother.

"I'm already in enough trouble with her. She hates me."

"I think she just finds you annoying. Let's just let her go on with this. She's just a teenager but is trying her best to keep every…"

"Are you two done gossiping over there?" Sadie asked, causing everyone else to giggle. This probably wasn't going as smoothly as she hoped. But what did she honestly expect with this set-up she formed and with having a demon in the meeting?

The brothers reluctantly kept their mouths shut and allowed the girl to continue.

"Okay, so number one…no screaming unless you're in trouble. No leaving to go outside without letting me know. Every time you do go outside, you have to sign the check out sheet and include the time…"

"I miss Bobby's…" Dean muttered. "If it weren't for the luxuries here…"

"It's not so bad," Sam responded. "She's just doing this to keep everyone safe. There's a lot to be happy about here."

Sadie talked for a while more, ending the discussion with a goodnight to everyone. She suggested that they all meet for breakfast around nine-o-clock to mix with the other survivors. People began to leave the lounge and head towards the elevators.

Sam was thinking that he should ask Sadie a few questions, but he didn't even need to get up as the girl walked over to the brother's table and sat down.

"I need to ask you two a few questions," she told them, her voice calm. Sam liked her and how she treated them.

"Hurry it up, because I want to get to sleep," Dean grumbled. "That memory foam mattress is calling my name."

Sadie rolled her eyes at Dean, continuing on. "First, there's something that I need to ask you. We assigned the kids to share rooms with the adults. Everyone is all set but one boy, he insists that he wants to share a room with the two of you."

"Oh god, Aiden?" Dean groaned. Sam looked around the room, spotting where the little boy was now standing. He caught Sam's eyes and grinned, sprinting towards them.

"Sam! Dean! Can I please stay with you guys? I don't want to stay with anyone else!" The boy ran into Sam's arms, peeking over at Dean, who huffed in response.

"You two have more than enough room," Sadie continued. "You're lucky that I left those two presidential suites opened. I didn't want anyone in my group fighting over them."

"So you gave them to the demon and his friends?" Dean chuckled.

"Yes. So you won't make a fuss about not getting it. They won't be happy about having a demon here. They already have their doubts about Ruby, but at least they are familiar with her. She kept this place running. She's always on the go, like she is now. You're going to be here longer periods at a time and haven't done anything yet to earn their trust."

"But why do you?" Sam asked. "I'm not complaining, but how come you seem to trust Dean?"

"I don't trust him, exactly. Not yet. But I don't think he's evil. He already seems more calm than Ruby, more human-like. I can see how much he cares for you, and he's protected and lived with a group of humans. He's not something I have to be afraid of, there's actual threats to worry about."

Sam wanted to ask Sadie a million questions. He wanted to find out more about her, learn her story and understand why she was able to have faith in Dean when so many other people couldn't. It was that people-person trait coming out in him, eager to interact and get to know others. But he'd have enough time to do that later. Right now, he just wanted to let her know how much he appreciated what she was doing.

"Thank you. For letting us stay here. And for giving Dean a chance."

Sadie only nodded, she glanced at Aiden, who was still hugging Sam. "So you'll let him stay with you two?"

To Sam's surprise, it was Dean who answered. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

Aiden gave a squeal of delight and squirmed out of Sam's grasp to climb onto Dean's lap. "Thank you Dean!" He buried his head in the crook of Dean's neck, wrapping his arms around him.

"Oh shutup. You're sleeping on the couch, and you can share Sam's bathroom."

Aiden didn't seem to be bothered with that.

"There's one more thing." Sadie told them before they could stand up. "You guys are hunters…well there's something I want you both to check out."

"A supernatural problem?" Dean's face lit up at the thought of a possible hunt.

"Not exactly a problem so much…it's more of a question…something I have to ask…that I have to figure out."

"Do you want us to check it out now?" Sam asked

"No…no. It's nothing that has to be immediate. No one is in danger, but I need help with this. I'll meet with you guys after breakfast tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright," Sam told her. He stood up, feeling exhausted. It wasn't super late, but he was dead tired.

Dean stood up as well, with Aiden still clinging to him. He didn't look too pleased.

"You gonna let go of me kid?"

"Not yet," Aiden replied.

Dean huffed, looking over Aiden's shoulder to glance at his brother. "Alright then, race you up there Sammy?"

Before Sam could answer, Dean disappeared from in front of him.

Jerk.

* * *

By the time Sam made it back to the room, Aiden was running around, inspecting everything in their suite. Dean was sitting on the couch, ignoring Aiden and rubbing his eyes.

"You better not break anything or you're sleeping on the bathroom floor!" Dean barked.

Aiden seemed to know by now that Dean's threats were empty. He ignored the irritated demon and ran to Sam.

"Sam! This place is SO cool! This is the best place ever! Thank you guys for bringing me here!"

"You're welcome Aiden." Sam smiled. "How about we get to bed now though, we're all really tired."

"I already set up his 'bed'." Dean stood up, pointing to the blanket and pillows he had lying on part of the couch. Aiden's stuffed dog was already placed there as well. "Better not bed-wet…"

"I'm not four!" Aiden protested, hands on his hips. "Can I take a bath first? We never had any baths or showers back where I stayed with Mommy."

"Yeah, I could tell." Dean scrunched up his nose. "Go in Sammy's bathroom." He pointed to his right.

"Okay." Aiden grabbed his backpack, which probably contained a few pair of clothes Marcy had gathered for him.

"There's boxes of soap in the cupboard under the sink, Aiden," Sam informed him. "Do you need help with anything?"

Aiden turned around, irritated. "I'm not a baby! I can take a bath by myself!"

Of course, Dean had to burst out in laughter. "Yeah, he's not a baby but he wants to be carried and…"

"Dude, shut up!" Sam whispered. "The last thing we need is for him to be mad at us."

Dean just shook his head and stepped out onto the living room balcony. Sam followed him and they were faced with a beautiful sunset over the lake. Out here on the plains and farmland, it was almost as if there was no Croat invasion….that the world was continuing to go on as it always had. Sam could imagine that they were just removed from civilization, out in a rural area, and everything was as it should be.

That was far from the truth, but maybe things were okay. Maybe they could start to rebuild, create a tiny section of the world that was safe from the dangers all around them.

"You remember that one summer…when Dad left us at the cabin? I think it was '92?" Dean was still staring out at the sunset, a hint of a smile on his face.

Sam grinned at the memory. "Yeah, we had a lake just like this. Out in the middle of nowhere."

"We swam all day and at night, stared up at the stars. We pretended we were a couple of survivalists who found shelter in the woods." Dean laughed. "It was all fun and games until we realized we ran out of food and had to journey into town to buy some."

Sam's smile turned a little sad. "Yeah…who would have thought it would really happen? That everyone would turn out to be survivalists…and surviving from so much more than the elements of nature."

Dean turned to face Sam, his expression bewildered. "Wow Sammy, you are a real pessimist aren't ya? Turn a happy conversation about our childhood into a depressing one."

Sam had to chuckle a little bit. "Sorry, I really don't mean to…those were some really good times."

"Doesn't mean we still can't have good times like that." Dean punched his brother in the shoulder.

He was right. Since when did a demon have a better outlook on life than that of a human?

Sam turned to look at the lounge chairs sitting behind them. "Think you can stay up for a little while longer for old time's sake?"

Dean glanced at the chairs and a genuine grin took over his face. "Are you serious? Hell yeah I can!"

* * *

"Hey, Sammy, get up."

Sam groaned and rubbed at his eyes to see his brother standing over him, in that stupid bathrobe once again.

"Dean…what?"

"We have to meet everyone for breakfast, remember?"

"Uh, yeah. But…how about I meet you down there and you take Aiden? I want to wake up a bit first."

Dean shifted from foot to foot, what the hell was going on with him?

"We have time, I can wait for you."

Oh. Sam understood suddenly. Dean didn't want to go down there without Sam and face all the other survivors that would have an issue with him. Facing large groups of people that didn't treat him well made Dean extremely agitated.

But of course, Dean wouldn't come flat out and admit this. And Sam wasn't going to rub it in his face.

"Okay, just give me a few minutes to wash my face and get dressed."

"Of course, better tame that mane Sammy, there could be some hot chicks down there that you may wanna impress."

Sam rolled his eyes and Dean walked out of the room snickering. Sam quickly got ready and went into the living room to join his brother.

Aiden was watching some cartoon movie that Dean must have found in the DVD stash. Dean grabbed the remote and turned off the annoying singing animals as soon as Sam walked in.

"Alright, let's head down. I'm starving."

Sam wasn't sure of what to expect when they walked into the hotel restaurant. What they received was a mixture of reactions.

Marcy smiled and waved at them as she headed into the kitchen.

Bobby stood up from where he was seated and motioned for the brothers and Aiden to sit with him. Their group from Bobby's all sent a smile toward them; Lexi even blushed when she looked at Dean.

But all that positivity couldn't stop Sam from noticing the tension in the room. The other ten or so survivors were giving the brothers, Dean particularly, guarded and angry looks. They watched Dean's every movement as he walked over to Bobby. A young woman who had been chatting with Carl abruptly stood up as Dean approached and hurried away.

Now the groups were completely segregated. With Dean here, there was little hope that the hotel survivors were going to try and mingle with Bobby's people as long as they supported Dean.

Hopefully their reluctance toward him would change in time, as they came more accustomed to the demon and saw that he wasn't going to cause any harm or destruction.

But if they kept avoiding Dean, or if Dean decided to stay clear of the new people they were living with, how was the group going to see the good in Dean? They were going to have to try and mingle and leave their suite a lot more than Dean would prefer.

"Take a seat boys." Bobby motioned toward the section of the long booth that was open. Dean slid in next to Lexi, of course, and Sam followed him with Aiden on his other side.

"I think Marcy saw ya, so she'll bring out a plate for you three," Bobby informed them. Apparently, Marcy's job was to work in the kitchen. Dean would be pleased.

"What's their problem?" Dean gestured toward the group of survivors who kept stealing glances at him when they thought he wasn't looking.

"They've been gossiping about you. They're kind of iffy about the rest of us too, since we've been taking your side," Carl told him. "I'm sure they'll get over it soon enough."

"Yeah, like it took all you idiots a year or so to finally be near me without cringing?" Dean growled, his mood turned sour.

Carl's face fell. Lexi started rubbing Dean's shoulder, in which it looked like he wanted to push her away, but wasn't about to stop a woman from getting closer to him.

"I'm sorry Dean." Carl let out a sad sigh. "We all stayed outside, we didn't see too much of you. Not only did you and Sam live outside, but you guys were always going into the city."

"Yeah, to rescue people and bring back supplies!" Dean hissed.

"I know." Carl did sound guilty. "It's not that we thought you were like the other demons. We could tell you weren't. But you were still a demon we were staying with, we were nervous. I saw how dangerous demons can be, we all did. They're manipulative and power hungry and strong. We figured we'd leave you alone in case we might make you angry."

"If you made me angry, I would yell at your ass and maybe throw something and stalk away. I wasn't going to hurt you or randomly decide I'm going to blow up the house."

"Yeah...," Lexi said quietly. "We know that now. We were worried about the wrong person. Freddie's the one that actually blew up the house."

"We should have been more concerned about the new people that joined us, the ones we didn't know," Carl agreed. "Like Freddie. Now I see how we were around you for so long and you never did anything to hurt us. I trust you. You're not a bad guy."

The whole group nodded their heads.

"Bobby's told me all along that you were good," Jody spoke up. "And while I believed him, I thought there was a chance you'd change or snap. After my son died, I told myself I was going to be tougher, that things were only black or white. But it's not like that with you. We all have to be strong but not so damned closed minded."

"They'll see boys," Bobby told the brothers, glancing at the new group of people. "It will take some time, but they will come to accept Dean, especially with us having nothing but good things to say about him."

"Well I don't know about that!" Steve laughed from the end of the table. "He is kind of an ass and a slob!"

"You shut it kid or I will use my scary demon powers and force that annoying voice to stop."

That got everyone laughing. Finally, finally they could take a joke from Dean and not see it as a threat. Who cared about what the new people thought? In Sam's mind, they were forming a family right now, a family that would have Dean's back.

It didn't take long though, for someone to finally speak up against Dean. Marcy was bringing out some omelettes for them when someone stood up. It was a shorter man around the brothers' age, his mouth was set in a scowl.

"Now we're going to waste our food on a demon?"

Sam turned to tell Dean to ignore him, but it was too late, his brother was already standing up.

"That demon is going to be the one going out and finding your ass some more food," Dean retorted.

"You probably don't even need to eat!" The man growled. A woman started tugging on his arm, trying to get him to stop.

"Dean needs food," Sam grabbed his brother and shoved him back down next to him. "He needs it to keep his body up, or it would waste away."

"And who's body is that you're riding? Just jumped some innocent guy like your buddies did to my mom?"

Dean looked the man right in the eyes. "Those demons aren't my buddies. They want to kill me, because I'm helping all of you! And this body is mine, it's my human body so don't start making assumptions about shit you don't know."

"Your body? How the hell does that even work?"

"I'm not explaining anything to some damn moron who attacks me."

"Do you have a problem Allen?"

Everyone turned to see Sadie walk into the restaurant. It was amazing how everyone suddenly began to mind their own business and turn their gazes off of Dean. Allen looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I was just discussing with the demon."

"His name is Dean. He and his brother and their group are living here just like you. Everyone is going to treat them just the same."

"But he's a demon!"

"I wouldn't allow anyone in here if I thought they were a bad person. You don't have to worry about him, he's on our side. Why else would he help keep his group of people alive?" Sadie paused, waiting for Allen to start up again. When he didn't, she continued.

"Humanity is the losing side, Allen, why would he join us if he wasn't dedicated? Why would he piss off all the demons when he could be with them and have it easy? He's helping us because he wants to help his brother. Leave him alone."

How this young woman, who may still be a teenager, was able to shut up this angry man had Sam in awe. She was obviously a born leader, like Dean. And she was also good at protecting, from how she had set up the hotel and kept these people alive. Everyone respected her and trusted her word.

"Okay, fine." Allen grumbled, and to his credit he didn't even look back at Dean to glower at him.

Sadie walked over to the table Dean and Sam were at. "After you guys are done, meet me on the fourth floor…room 424. And…bring anything you can think of that you use for ghosts."

* * *

An hour later, the brothers went down to the room to check out the possible ghost situation that Sadie was talking about.

Of course their new home was haunted by a ghost, Dean figured that they could never catch a break. Oh well, at least it made things interesting. It wasn't like they couldn't handle a simple spirit. And Sadie didn't seem too worried about it, so it most likely wasn't a vengeful spirit.

Dean walked into the room geared up with an EVP reader, totally not ready for what he was about to see.

Sure, Sadie was standing there. But there was someone else standing in the room in between Sadie and the brothers. But the thing was, both Sam and Sadie seemed oblivious to the ghost.

"Okay, before we do anything, I want to tell you guys…" Sadie began to speak.

"Wait a minute, who's that?" Dean pointed to the young woman with short black hair who stood there. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at Dean.

"What…" Sadie stared at where Dean was pointing. "You can see her? It is her right? It's Nikki?"

"What's going on?" Sam asked. "Dean, can you see the ghost?"

"Well obviously, smart one. Now you two shut up so I can talk to her."

Surprisingly, they both listened. Dean turned back to the spirit. "So I take it you're Nikki."

"Yes," she 'breathed' a sigh of relief. "Finally someone can see me. You're Dean right? You're the good demon?"

"How do you know that?" Dean asked. He hadn't come across anyone that knew his name or assumed he was good right off the bat.

"It's a long story. But basically I heard from other spirits. We can communicate through like…a veil kinda…"

Well, that was news to Dean. "And you guys are talking about me? Why the hell would you do that?"

"Because you can help us." The girl sounded desperate. "Other spirits have seen you, saving people. They heard the other demons talking against you, how you're a pain in their ass."

Dean smirked. "Well, that I am. But how the hell can I help you, by burning your bones?"

"No. That's the thing. My bones have been burned. I'm still here. Everyone….everyone that's died is stuck here. We can't move on…unless…" she sighed.

"Unless what?" Was the world full of damn ghosts too? How come Dean hadn't seen any then? There were millions of dead people.

"Everyone that turned into a Croat…and anyone that died at the hands of a demon…they're not here. Not still on Earth."

Huh. Well this was interesting. Dean turned to his brother.

"Sammy, there's some weird shit going down."

"Is it Nikki?" Sadie interrupted.

"Yes, it's Nikki, whoever she is. Now hold on, there's more pressing issues here." Dean glared at Sadie.

"What's going on Dean?" Sam asked, obviously feeling left out and eager to know this news so he could help in any way he could. Typical Sammy.

"Well, this Nikki is informing me that all the spirits of dead people are stuck here, they aren't moving on. But the spirits of people that contracted Croatoan or the ones that got killed by demons…they're not here."

"Wait…so if people are stuck here…" Sam shook his head in horror. "They can't get up to heaven…does that mean heaven is closed?"

"That's what I'm guessing. They shut their doors. And it sounds like the demons that are killing people are taking their souls after they off the poor suckers."

Sam seemed to consider this. "I guess so. After the demons kill them, they can take their souls since no one can get into heaven. But what about people that are turned into Croats…are their souls getting taken by the demons too?"

"Maybe. It is a demonic virus. Maybe once you contract it, your soul is destined for Hell. It's a theory."

"No…that can't be," Sadie spoke up. "Nikki got bitten. But I…I…"

"You offed her before she could change," Dean offered up. By the pale look on Sadie's usually confident face, he took that as a yes. "She didn't turn though, she was still human. But once you do turn, your soul possibly goes downstairs and your body runs around as a contagious monster?"

Dean paused, taking all this information in. It was pretty damn interesting. It changed things up quite a bit. "If my theory is true, then there's no one left inside the bodies. It's just a mindless, reanimated, soulless shell."

"So that means everyone who died of it is in Hell?!" Sadie's voice raised an octave. "Everyone is going to turn into…"

"Into something like me?" Dean suggested. "If they are going to Hell, then yeah. But they won't be anywhere near as friendly as good ol' Dean."

Sadie looked at the smirk on Dean's face and shook her head. "I can't…I can't deal with this right now." She looked around the room. "Nikki, I'm sorry…I'll come back later."

"We don't know if Dean's right though," Sam told Sadie before she could leave the room. "All we know is that the spirits of people who turned into Croats aren't lingering around. Maybe they're not in Hell. Maybe they are still trapped inside their bodies?"

Dean nodded, impressed. He was intrigued and wanted to figure out this mystery sooner rather than later. If they found out what was going on, it could come in handy when trying to fix things. "Good thought Sammy. You could be right too. They could be stuck inside their virus infected bodies; I guess that's better than going to Hell."

Sadie shook her head. "That's just as bad. Then all those Croats we killed had people's souls still inside them! People that we probably sent to Hell when we killed them." Sadie actually looked like she was going to be sick; she was obviously overwhelmed for once, but for good reason. She turned and hurried out the door.

Sucked to know that people you loved were going to turn into demons, or were trapped inside viscous virus-controlled monstrous bodies, Dean figured.

Sam was speechless at the moment, so Dean turned back to face the ghost.

"And you two know each other by…"

"I am…well was…her best friend. My parents ran this hotel. They loved Sadie, they let her work and stay here because…well I won't get into her personal life. They went out for supplies one day and… they didn't make it back. She and I took over running this place, keeping everyone safe like they wanted. I got bit and well, you know the rest. I died in this room. Sadie's strong though, she'll keep everyone safe."

"Well, I can see that." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Dean…" Sam started. "How…how can you even see her without her materializing?"

Dean shrugged. "Well, I am technically dead like her. I'm just like a spirit, but I'm twisted into a demon. I just got the benefit of being more powerful and being able to possess a lot easier and permanently."

"Then why couldn't you see those spirits at Bobby's?"

"That wasn't really them…I think it was more a copy of them with only their anger materialized. And Lilith was controlling that whole thing. Those weren't normal spirits."

"Maybe since you two are similar…but you're in a physical form…if she touches you maybe she can…," Sam began to explain.

Nikki got the hint, the walked over and grabbed Dean's arm. In an instant, she was made corporal.

"Woah…," she stated.

"That's pretty fricken awesome." Dean was impressed.

Sam jumped at the sudden appearance, but smiled. "Nikki…I'm Sam, Dean's brother."

"I know, I heard a lot about you two. You might be the only ones that can help."

"Do you know much about what the demons are up to?" Sam asked.

"I know that they're somehow taking souls of spirits that are still around, like me. I know they are taking the souls of people they kill too. I don't know what for. We…the spirits…we know that the demons can see us. They're searching for us…the ones that remain here. We're trying our best to hide, that's why Dean hasn't seen us before. We're not making ourselves known. But the demons took some of us already. Since we can't go to heaven…if the demons find us…they're free to take us to Hell."

"Now we have this to worry about too? The crazy monsters, the Croats, and now this? So the demons are just trying to round up everyone then. They want to take all the souls to Hell," Sam stated, sitting down on the bed and holding his head in his hands.

"Sounds like they're trying to kill off humanity, make it their world if you ask me." Dean didn't know if that was true, but he was a demon himself and knew that demons liked causing chaos. Dean was very tame with the trouble he caused, but it was the opposite for other demons. Demons had one track minds and always had one goal in mind and would stop at nothing to fulfill it. Dean's goal was to keep Sam safe, and these demons seemed to have the goal of ruling the world.

But how was this all taking shape? Someone was calling the shots and lying out the plan, trying to maintain orders and rules for the demons to follow.

It was Alastair. Dean had no doubt. They had to kill the bastard for yet another reason now.

"And the angels just gave up?" Sam asked, being Dean out of his dark thoughts about his former torturer.

"Well, they were douchebags," he answered. "At least that Zachariah and his gang. I can see they wanted nothing to do with this mess, just shutting their gates because they're selfish assholes. But…maybe we can find out for sure what's going on."

"And how can we do that?" Dean wasn't sure his brother's voice could sound any more miserable and that sent a wave of uneasiness through him, which didn't happen unless Sam was concerned. He had to reassure the kid. He walked away from Nikki, letting her fade away from Sam's sight and sat next to his brother.

"Well, since heaven is having issues, maybe they kicked out that angel that helped us."

"Castiel? But how could we find him?"

Dean smirked. "I say it's time we learned how to summon an angel."


	11. Chapter 11

Sam watched  the hotel get smaller before it vanished completely. Dean was driving way too fast, but it wasn't like it mattered much anymore.

They were heading out to get the Impala and supplies from the storage unit. Bobby had given them a book he managed to save from his library that contained the ritual and ingredients for summoning an angel. According to Dean's memory, they had these valuable ingredients stored away in the unit.

The brothers would summon Cas right there at the storage place. Neither of them wanted to risk summoning the angel back at the hotel. There could be something that went wrong, and the hotel survivors may not take kindly to an angel suddenly appearing in the hotel without their knowledge. Plus, they didn't know how the angel would react if they did manage to summon him.

Sam turned to face the road ahead once more. This car that Sadie had gassed up and lent them from the hotel garage didn't have a lot of leg room for his 6' 4" self, and he felt extremely cramped.

"Always wanted to do this!" Dean exclaimed from the driver's seat. "Speeding down the road, no cars in my way, killing any son of a bitch that gets in my way with my brother at my side. Only thing that would make this better is having my baby back and my music playing." He was grinning, and Sam was glad his brother could be so at ease, he really was. But he just couldn't understand it himself. With the world in so much danger and more terrible things left to discover, how could someone be happy?

Sam was going to guess it was because Dean was a demon. He didn't have anything to be upset about as long as Sam was safe. Humans were different. Surely, everyone else was feeling what the same as Sam at some level, right?

Sam realized too late that he never responded to Dean's comment. He turned his head to look at Dean, but his brother had already realized something was up. Of course.

"What were you looking at? Back at the hotel? Why? What's with hat stupid look on your face?"

Sam sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "It's nothing Dean. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if it's bothering you."

Sam did a double take. Where was this sympathy coming from? "Did that actually just come out of your mouth?"

Dean looked a bit annoyed, his smile fading. Sam regretted he said anything. Damn it, he always screwed everything up. He probably wasn't giving Dean enough credit. His older brother's mood seemed to change frequently, but perhaps he was so open and lighthearted because he was with Sam only. That's when he felt most comfortable.

"You seem to be forgetting that I'm a big brother first and foremost. Unless you'd like me to lie and tell you that everything you're thinking about is stupid. If so, go right ahead."

"Dean, no. I'm just worried, that's all. So much is going wrong and I'm afraid when we come back, the hotel will be burned to the ground or something."

Dean rolled his black eyes, tilted his head back, and groaned. "Oh come on! Can you be any more morbid? I'm a demon and I don't think like that! They're gonna be fine! I have no idea what else I can possibly say to you to make you stop thinking like that." He turned to face Sam. "I lied, this...this is stupid. You've gotta stop or it's gonna kill you and I can't fucking stand to see you like this Sam."

Sam swallowed and turned to look out the window. "I know Dean, trust me, I know."

"But it's not just that, is it? I know you better than you know yourself and there's a whole lot more going on in that messed up mind of yours, isn't there?"

Sam stuck his hand out the window, letting the early summer breeze brush through his fingers, it calmed him.

"I can't explain it Dean. I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon. I'll feel better, can we just please not talk about it?"

It was kind of a lie; Sam could talk about it, wanted to a little bit even. But not with Dean. Yes, Sam loved and trusted his brother more than anyone, but it would be too difficult to get Dean to listen without interrupting, to see his point of view.

This just wasn't something you could discuss with a demon. Especially not with a brother who couldn't relate and just would say anything to try and get you to feel better.

But at least Dean was trying in the only way he knew how, and that fact had Sam smiling a little. He turned back to face his brother, wanting to bring back the smile that was there a few minutes ago.

"You may want to switch your eyes back to human. Just in case anyone sees us when we get out of the car. We don't need a bunch of angry or scared people if we can help it." Sam tried to ease into some other form of conversation.

"Yeah yeah..." Dean still sounded a bit pissed, but he wasn't lingering on the conversation. Sam didn't want to talk more about it and Dean was respecting it. Things were okay.

Sam was busy looking at the abandoned houses that began to pop up, telling him they were nearing the suburbs, when Dean spoke up.

"God damnit, Sammy. We have a problem."

Sam sat up straight in his seat, concern pushing all his earlier thoughts to the back of his mind. Dean was looking at himself in the car's visor mirror, his eyes still black. He looked like he was in a bit of pain. "Dean, what? What is it?"

"I can't..." Dean's face tensed up and he hissed in pain. "I can't change my eyes!"

"Hey, wait...Dean stop. Pull over. Relax." Sam placed a hand on Dean's right shoulder and looked around. There was a group of four or five houses coming up. "Pull into the driveway of one of those houses. There's probably no one in them."

"I'm not stopping to rest Sam, I'm fine!"

"We'll just stop so we can figure this thing out! Quit being so damn stubborn! Come on, Dean."

Dean cursed but did as Sam told him. As soon as he parked, Dean placed his hands over his temples and began rubbing them.

"Hey." Sam scooted over on the bench seat and tried to pry Dean's hands away. "Where's it hurt?"

"I'm fine! Give me a minute!"

Sam sighed. He scooted away and got out of the car. After grabbing some weapons for them both, he walked around to open the driver's side door. He glared down at his brother. "We're taking a break. There's no rush and we gotta see if you're okay. Come on, let's see if the house is safe."

Dean grumbled something and Sam decided he had enough. He began hauling Dean out of the car, and just as expected, Dean pushed him away and stood up himself.

“I’m okay. Get off me.”

“I will if you listen to me and come inside.” Sam handed Dean one of the guns.

“Fine!”

The brothers walked their way up to the front door, keeping a lookout for any unwanted company. Sam paused once he was on the porch.

“Okay, let’s listen if we hear anyone inside, then we’ll…”

Dean instantly began pounding on the door. “Hey! You assholes! If any of you freaks are inside, better make a run for it now because we’re coming in!”

 “Dean!” Sam hissed. “What the hell?”

“What? Making noise will draw them out. Would you rather go in and be surprised attacked by some Croats?”

“What if there’s something else inside? Demons? Monsters?”

“Demons wouldn’t be camping out in some random house. And the monsters are acting sporadic and wild, not getting domestic.”

Sam sighed, but there wasn’t a sound from the house or anywhere around them. There must not be any Croats nearby. Maybe he’d have to admit that Dean was right.

This house didn’t seem to be looted, probably because it was just far enough from town that people didn’t bother to go out of their way to raid it, but rather went for houses more nearby.  The door was even locked, as if that would have stopped anyone who wanted to get in. Dean simply kicked once and the door opened, revealing a musty, but rather normal, looking living room.

“Awesome, no one ransacked this place,” Dean said as he stepped inside. “Maybe we can find some cool stuff.”

“Really? They locked the doors, maybe they were planning on coming back.”

Dean gave Sam an exasperated look. “Are you serious? They’re probably dead. It’s been a year since the outbreak. Even if they are somehow alive, they’re not gonna decide to randomly come back and try and play house like everything’s normal. Remember the apartment we hid out in with Aiden? People thought Croatoan would get under control and they’d be able to come back and live happily ever after in safety.”

As Dean spoke, he wandered into the kitchen and abruptly gagged. Sam followed his brother and ending up having a similar reaction.

These people obviously hadn’t cleaned out their fridge. It looked like something may have spilled or exploded inside, and a dirty colored muck was coating the bottom of the door, spilling onto the kitchen tiles. It had once been liquid, but after months of sitting there, it was impossible to decipher exactly what liquid it had been, especially with the mold that had grown over it. A few cockroaches gathered around the gunk greedily.

“That’s some nasty shit. Even I’m not hungry for once after looking at that.” Dean backed out of the kitchen, grabbing Sam’s arm to get him to follow. “Maybe there’s some cans of food or something we could have taken, but I’m not touching anything that might be infested with cockroaches.”

“Yeah, I’m with you on that.” Who knows what kind of diseases were lurking in that kitchen? Sam felt like he caught one just staring at that mess. “We should talk about what’s going on with your eyes now.”

They walked over to a backdoor landing which probably led to the garage. “We can talk while we explore.” They tried to open the door, but it was locked as well, so Dean knocked it down.

Suddenly the lights in the garage turned on. Sam jumped in fright before noticing his brother’s smirk.

“You jerk! Warn me before you decide to use your powers.”

“Come on, you should be used to them by now.” Dean’s smile fell as he took in the car that was sitting in the garage. Sam felt a sense of dread wash over himself as well.

“If these people left…how come their car is still here?” Sam voiced what they both had been thinking.

Dean shrugged. He found a key wrack and saw that all of the keys were missing. “I don’t know. If their keys are gone, then how come the person that took them didn’t steal the car?”

“Maybe the family took all their keys, they did lock the house up,” Sam suggested.

“Yeah, but why take the car keys and not use the damn thing? Why would they go on foot?”

Sam walked around to the other side of the car while Dean dug through a work bench, probably looking for some tools he could take.

“Hey…Dean!” Sam called out, gesturing for his brother to join him. “Check this out.”

Dean arrived at Sam’s side with a toolbox in hand in an instant. His stupid brother had to teleport because he was too lazy to walk the ten feet. “What?”

“These shelves…look at the empty containers, the labels on them.”

Dean followed Sam’s gaze. There were a dozen or so plastic bins on the metal shelves. Each bin had a printed label taped to it. These labels listed various canned goods that must have been placed in the containers.

“Huh...” Even Dean seemed confused. “Must have been where they stored some food. So if it's gone, maybe someone did break in here.”

“Where could they have gone with all that food without putting it in the car?”

“They could have had their own car, genius.”

“But why break in and then lock the doors?” Sam asked.

“Wish I had an answer for you there Sammy. Things just aren’t adding up.”

Something darted across the garage from the corner of Sam’s vision. He jumped and pulled out his gun, aiming towards where he saw the movement. Dean did the same thing, following the thing behind the car.

“Dean? What is it?” Sam asked. Seconds later, something smacked Sam in the chest. He let out a gasp and jumped back, only to see a giant grey rat floating in mid-air.

“Dean!”

The older Winchester broke out laughing, wincing slightly, but his smile was bright. "You should have seen the look on your face man!”

“That is so disgusting.” He watched as the rat wiggled in the air, confused on what was holding it upright.

"Maybe this is the little intruder that ate all the food,” Dean joked. He walked over to the floating rat and twisted his hand. The creature squeaked loudly in pain and curled itself around its body.

What Dean found amusing, Sam found appalling. “Dean, dude, quit it.”

“It’s a disgusting rat!” Dean defended himself.

“Just…put it down.”

“No way. I’ve always hated these things. World’s probably overpopulated with them anyway.” Dean smirked and pulled his hand upward, the rats body convulsed and bent into a sharp V shape. The sound of breaking bones were heard and the creature went still.

Sam felt like he was going to be sick. “Dean, god, just throw it outside! Was that necessary?”

Dean opened the garage door with his powers and sent the rat flying into the overgrown field that once served as a backyard.

“I’m just having some fun. Lighten up Sammy.”

“Torturing a rat is far from what I consider fun.”

“It is for a demon.” Dean stepped out outside, walking ahead of Sam.

It was times like this in which Sam remembered that Dean had been a torturer. A master torturer most likely, who had enjoyed his work, took pleasure out of it.

But it wasn’t like Dean was doing harm to anyone by torturing rats. If that’s how he wanted to get enjoyment and if it helped to control himself, then so be it. Sam just wished he wouldn’t do it in front of him.

“Dean, let’s talk about your eyes, stop changing the subject.” Sam sighed, he didn't want to do the whole 'exploring the house' thing that Dean loved to do. Even though whoever lived here wouldn't come back, it still felt wrong. He'd rather just use the house for protection and rest, taking things if necessary, rather than snooping through everything.

It's not like his demon brother would understand those feelings though. And Dean was most likely right, it probably was better to check out the entire place in case theycame across something they really needed. It wasn't like anyone was going to miss the stuff once they took it.

“We’ll talk as soon as I figure out what the mystery of this house is,” Dean brushed him off.  Of course. This could be something serious, but Dean never considered anything regarding himself to be important. “Hey, look at this.”

Sam walked over to where his brother was standing. There was a wooden door that led into the ground, one of those old-fashioned cellar type things that Sam had seen more of in movies than real life.

“Are you catching that smell?” Sam asked, wrinkling his nose. Whatever it was, it sure was rancid, worse than the kitchen mess.

“Oh yeah.” Dean kicked at the door, but no noise came from inside. “Let’s check it out.”

Dean easily broke open the door, and the smell wafted out, filling Sam’s senses and causing his eyes to water. He had to turn around as he gagged.

“Oh my god! What IS that?”

“It’s the smell of death, obviously. Rotting bodies. You didn’t know that?”

“I choose not to remember what that smell is like.”

“You got a flashlight in that backpack of yours?” Dean changed the subject.

Sam did, and he handed it to Dean. As the light flicked on, not much could be seen other than a few more scurrying rats and their feces.

“Mmm tasty…” Dean chuckled and bounded down the steps like it was nothing, like they weren’t going to most likely come upon some dead bodies. He turned around to look at his younger brother, there was little bit of concern written on his face. “You coming? You don’t have to if you don’t think you can…”

The last thing Sam wanted to seem like was a wimp. He’d seen plenty of scarier things than some rotting corpses. And what if there was something dangerous down there? He couldn't let Dean go down alone, Sam needed to have his back. “I’m coming, hold on.”

The steps creaked as Sam made his way down. Dean was shining the flashlight on a big plastic container.

“Think I know what happened to those canned goods, Sammy.” Dean opened the container, and sure enough there were the cans, at least some of them. There were even a few jugs of water.

“They took their goods down here to hide,” Sam commented.

“Yeah, probably thought it was safer in the cellar.” Dean closed the lid and walked into the next room. He abruptly stopped.

“Ohhh, well this is what happened to our family. Sure you wanna look?”

“I can handle it, Dean.” Sam walked up to his brother’s side, the rancid stench was stronger here. Dean swept the beam of light into the right corner of the room.

“Oh dear god…” Sam gagged. On the ground were two children, or what used to be two children. Their skin was nearly transparent and loose, rat bites covered the exposed flesh and bone was visible on parts. Against the wall was a man and a woman, their bodies just as disgusting as the children. The man seemed to have a human-like bite taken out of his neck, as well as a bullet wound on his forehead, and near the woman’s skeletal hand, was a pistol.

Dean walked right up to the bodies, kicking empty food cans out of the way. He found a shovel in the room and used it to poke at the bodies and get them to turn around. Sam couldn’t take seeing their lifeless limbs flop around anymore, turning around, he closed his eyes.

“Okay, it obvious what happened now.”

“What?” Sam asked without turning around.

"Someone, one of the kids, was infected and they probably didn’t know until it was too late. Kid took a bite out of daddy and the mother had to kill both the kid and her husband. She probably couldn’t take what she did, and killed herself and the other kid too. …Oh wait…nope, Croat-child took a bite out of little brother too. So they were all infected but Mommy, who couldn’t stand to live on her own, and shot herself in the side of the head.”

“That’s so depressing….Dean, let’s just get out of here. Please.”

“Probably a lot of similar scenarios happened all around the world. If the kid wasn't infected, they might have stood a chance. The keys are probably somewhere down here. Once things calmed down, they could have taken their car and met up with others.” Dean shrugged and walked back to Sam. “You go on up, I’ll carry the container up with the food and the water.”

Sam didn’t waste a second as he walked back outside. Taking deep breaths, he willed himself not to throw up. He had to be stronger, he couldn’t let scenes like that affect him, there was nothing they could have done for those people. But if Sam would have only found out about the demons' plan to start the virus...if he could have stopped it…

“You okay?” Dean asked. He was carrying the large container like it was as light as a feather.

“Yeah. I’m good.” Sam tried to shake the sight of the family out of his mind. “At least we know there aren’t any scavengers that are going to come back to this place and that we’ll be safe here.”

They walked back into the house and Dean placed the container down. “Won’t be staying here long though. My headache’s almost gone. A few hours tops.”

“Trying to change your eyes gave you a headache?” Finally, Dean was willing to talk about this. Sam was worried for him, he didn't think that bullet would leave any permanent damage.

“A bad one. But I did try three times to change them.”

Of course, now Dean was getting bad headaches when he tried to change his eyes. Damn it! If Sam only wouldn't have left him alone outside with Freddie! He had known that Freddie hated Dean, how could he have left Dean's side, knowing that his brother could have been in danger? He should have just shot Freddie on the spot, then Dean wouldn't be hurting and Bobby's place wouldn't have burned to the ground.

But he couldn't let Dean know he was thinking about this. Dean didn't need to worry about anything else. His poor brother had enough problems. “Do you think it’s because of the bullet and the holy water, the poison?” Sam asked, trying to control his voice.

Dean sighed, luckily not catching that Sam's mind had wandered to darker thoughts. “Yeah, I think it permanently fucked up the part of my brain that controls the change in my body.”

“What are we going to do now though? You can’t walk around letting everyone know you’re a demon or it will just cause problems.”

“That’s why I figured I should search out a pair of sunglasses. There’s gotta be one in this house, right?”

“Do you really think it’s permanent though? Maybe it’s just side effects from the injury and it will go away?” Sam wanted to have hope, he wanted to so badly. He was tired of letting his brother down, of not being able to protect him and then Dean had to suffer because of it.

“I don’t know. I’m just gonna assume it’s permanent. Not a big deal, quit worrying.” Dean stood up. “Now help me look for those sunglasses.”

They did end of finding some sunglasses in what had been the parents’ bedroom. Dean also had taken some of the husband’s plaid shirts, jeans and boots, finding out that the man had been close to his size. Sam grabbed some of the sons’ clothes for Aiden and the other boys at the hotel and even some of the mother’s clothes for the women. Sam knew that at least Lexi and Jody could use some new outfits, most being burned in the fire.

After Dean’s headache went away a few hours later, he cleaned off the cans that they found in the cellar and put them in the trunk. They packed up the tools Dean had found and the clothes as well. Next, they were going to grab the Impala in the storage unit, and then drive past Bobby’s to see if there was anything that could possibly be saved.

Hopefully, they wouldn't run into any more problems on the way.

Dean drove fast once they got into the city, but not reckless like he had earlier. There were too many stalled and abandoned vehicles lying on the streets and debris that could result in a flat tire. Luckily, they reached the unit without any incidents.

“Well, shit.” Dean groaned as they stepped out of the car. The building was much worse for wear than it had been six months ago when they stored the Impala here. All those months ago, there had been many more people still alive but the Croats had been more active as well.  There had been chaos, so Dean picked out a storage unit that was located in an already abandoned part of town.

From the looks of it, people had eventually found their way back to this area when trying to stay safe from the Croats. The office's  door was off its hinges and the windows were cracked. When the brothers slowly made their way along the outside of the building, towards their unit, they were greeted with blood smeared on the bricks and a body up ahead, resting against the wall.

“Well this is just lovely. Some of these have been broken into. My baby better be okay or…”

The body that they had chosen to ignore moved…it wasn’t a body after all. Both brothers pulled out their guns as the figure stood. It was a woman, late twenties. She looked at them with dead eyes and grabbed her hair in both hands, tearing bloody strands out. She screeched loudly. bolting toward them with some kind of feral anger.

Dean quickly stepped in front of Sam before the younger brother could fire. With perfect aim, he sent a bullet through the Croat’s head.

Stepping away, Dean tucked his gun back in his jeans. “Crazy bitch,” he muttered.

“Dean…what if that woman’s soul was stuck in her body? And now she’s…her soul is in Hell?” Sam forced himself to turn away from the body and towards his brother.

“She was going to attack us! What else could we do? I’m not saying we have to go and kill the ones who aren’t in the way, the ones that don’t sense us. But we can’t stop killing the ones who are a danger to us. They’re still the enemy Sam.”

Sam followed Dean down the length of the building. The family from earlier had never left his thoughts, and now with the thought of having to kill Croats that may be human souls stuck in a savage body had him thinking…

“Dean, what if I were to drink a little more blood? Be able to kill demons with my…”

Dean stopped, he spun around and grabbed Sam’s shirt in one swift motion. “Don’t you DARE think about doing that! It’s way too dangerous! I know you’re upset about seeing that family die, but those people weren’t killed by demons anyway.”

“I know that. But the demons started this virus. They’re the reason that everyone’s dead. If I could just learn…I could kill Alastair, the one who set this in motion, the one that tortured you, Dean!”

“We’ll get him! There’s other ways to kill demons. You know that.” Dean shook Sam, hard. “You gotta know your boundaries Sam. And drinking more blood is one of them, it could take you down the deep end, it would hurt you. I know my boundaries, you helped show me that. With the torturing and violence, and I’m respecting those boundaries, not stepping past them. Now you have to do that for yourself.”

Dean let go of Sam. He couldn't tell because of the sunglasses Dean wore, but his black eyes were probably angry.“Now I don’t want to hear any more of this. I don’t want to have to supervise your blood drinking. I want to be able to trust you. I can trust you, right?”

Sam sighed, but nodded. He knew Dean was right. “Yeah, you can.”

“Good, because I’ll be able to tell if you had too much and get too powerful.  And if you do that, I’m cutting you off the stuff completely and you won’t be able to use any powers to stop demons.”

“I promise Dean.”

With a curt nod, Dean turned around and the brothers made their way to their storage unit. Thankfully, the door was intact, most likely due to the supernatural protections they had cast on their unit.

Dean unlocked the door, and the brothers stepped inside.

Dean grinned as he walked into the unit. Everything seemed to be in place. He checked out the containers they had stored, and found them full of their books and ingredients. The jugs of gasoline they saved were here as well. Satisfied, he headed towards the Impala and threw off the tarp. He clapped his hands once, which caused Sam to roll his eyes.

His baby was in pristine condition. Their wards had held off anyone other than them from getting into the unit, if anyone had bothered to try.

“Better start her up.” Sam chuckled. Finally, the kid was smiling at least a little bit. “I don’t want you throwing a hissy fit if her engine can’t get going.”

“She’ll be just fine.” Dean pulled out the spare keys he had kept with him at Bobby’s and of course had saved in the fire. But maybe Sam had a point. What if she wouldn’t start? It had been a while since he had last checked on her.

Luckily, Dean didn’t have to worry. His girl sputtered a little from not being started in a while, but then her engine purred just fine.

“I’ll go and get the other car to bring it closer now that we know it's safe. Then we can unload the food and clothes into the Impala quicker.”

Dean tensed up at those words and unfortunately Sam caught his reaction.

“Dean! I’ll be fine! Can’t I at least head outside 500 feet away from you without you freaking out?”

“I’m just worried for you Sammy.”

“I’m a grown man and a hunter, I am capable of protecting myself, especially for 2 minutes.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t be so worried if you’d get out of your weird funk. It’s distracting you Sammy. You're not a hundred percent.”

“I am! I can push my feelings aside when it matters!”

“Really? You’ve never been good at that in the past.”

Sam glared at him and stormed out of the unit without further comment.

The kid needed to know that Dean was right. If Sam wanted to let his emotions get to him, then he needed Dean’s protection. What if he got attacked by a Croat in a moment when he stopped to stare in despair at someone’s torn-up house? What if he hesitated shooting one of the things while he was thinking about the possible soul trapped inside?

Dean heard the sound of the other car pulling up and got out of the Impala. Sam walked up to him with a box of clothes in his hands, still looking pissed.

"See, I didn't die during my long journey."

"Good."

"You've gotta let me do at least simple things like that on my own Dean, I can't be in your vision 24/7."

"And noticed I didn't follow you."

"Yeah, shocking." Sam rolled his eyes. He placed the box in the Impala and went back to the other car to grab another.

"Sorry Sammy. I'm not gonna change. I only got more protective as a demon, you should know that by now."

Sam stopped where he stood and sighed. He looked conflicted. "I know Dean. I know you only mean well. It's just frustrating sometimes."

"I'm always frustrating."

Sam finally smiled. "Yeah you are. Just like how you're not helping me move all this shit."

Dean grinned, walking past Sam to the other car, he punched his brother in the shoulder. Sam nearly fell from the demon strength behind that punch.

They both laughed, crisis averted...for now.

"What if he doesn't show up?" Sam asked nervously.

"Then I guess we're screwed."

The Impala had been moved outside and the unit had been cleared out. They had mixed all the ingredients together and drawn the sigil and Enochian symbols on the ground of the unit. All that was left was to set the ingredients in the bowl on fire.

"Want to do the honors?" Sam asked, handing Dean his Zippo.

"Might as well." Dean didn't waste any time as he engulfed the ingredients in flames.

Before the flames even died down, Dean felt himself being shoved backwards by an incredible force. The bowl fell from his grip and shattered on the ground. He could hear Sam screaming as his back hit the wall, his glassed flew off his face due to the impact.

The press of a cold, long knife was held against Dean's throat and he knew without looking at the object, that it was capable of killing him. He could just feel it.

Looking up, Dean's vision was matched with that of an angry and disheveled looking Castiel. His eyes were wild and showed no sign that he recognized Dean.

"I thought you demons learned to stay away from me once you discovered the power of this blade!"


	12. Chapter 12

“Castiel!” Sam wasn’t sure what to do other than call out the angel’s name and tug on his jacket.  But it was as if the creature wasn’t hearing him. His eyes were full of anger and his gaze was locked on the blade he held at Dean’s throat. A blade, that Sam was sure, would kill his brother.

 

“It’s Dean! You helped us, remember? You saved Dean from the angels!”

 

“Get the hell off me you stupid feathered freak!” Dean cursed. Obviously it wasn’t a good idea, Castiel raised his blade, still holding Dean against the wall with his other hand.

 

“Castiel! CAS!” Sam yelled frantically. He wasn’t going to go through all this just to see his brother die now. He had to save Dean for once. Maybe he could talk Cas out of it if he could just distract the being for a moment…

 

By some miracle, Castiel turned his head to face Sam, as if just noticing he was there. “Sam Winchester?” he asked, seeming genuinely puzzled.

 

“Yes. It’s me. You remember. And that’s Dean that you’re about to kill. Please let my brother go.”

 

Castiel turned to face Dean and Sam almost thought for a second he was still going to plunge the bladeinto his brother’s stomach. But he simply cocked his head to the side in confusion. After another moment, recognition fell over his features. He let the arm that held the blade fall to his side and stepped away from the demon.

 

“What the hell was that about, you stupid ass?! We helped you and you repay us by trying to kill me!” Dean rubbed at his throat from where the blade had pressed against it.

 

“I apologize Dean. When I was summoned I sensed a demon and immediately went for the kill. I have been attacked by several of them already. I did not recognize you at first sight.”

 

Sam stepped over to where Dean stood. He was about to ask if his brother was okay but Dean shut him up with a hard glare.

 

“He looks a little different. Needs a haircut, hasn’t shaved in a few days. But I still thought you’d easily be able to recognize him,” Sam told the angel. Dean didn’t look drastically different.

 

“His physical appearance is slightly altered, yes. But that is not what I was referring to. Dean’s soul…it looks different than I have remembered when I saw him last. It isn’t common for a demon’s soul to change in this way.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dean growled.

 

“I’ve see demons’ souls only look worse after time, transform even more into monsters,” Castiel admitted.

 

Sam caught what the angel was referring to right away. “You’re saying that Dean’s soul is looking better?” Sam asked excitedly. He remembered the last and only time he saw his brother’s battered and disfigured soul. The state Dean’s soul had been in was terrible, but it had also been better than any other demon, more human. If Dean’s soul was looking even better, did that mean he was continuing to heal? His brother had been acting more relaxed and not as cruel as time went on.

 

“Yes, he has healed a bit,” Castiel answered as if he could read Sam’s thoughts. “It’s quite extraordinary. There is no way a soul can completely heal, can go back to being human, after enduring the pain and torture of changing into a demon. But Dean has healed. Maybe it is not that amazing…after all, he is with his soulmate.”

 

Dean, who had looked uncomfortable from the start of the conversation, now was bright red and avoiding looking at Sam’s smiling face at all costs. “Okay, okay, enough of this crap. How bout you tell us where the hell you’ve been ever since you went away with all those angels after they tried to attack us?”

 

“Dean…” Sam spoke up before the angel could answer. “Maybe we should start driving to Bobby’s and we can talk about this on the way?”

 

“What if he’s tricking us? He tried to kill me!”

 

“I sincerely apologize for that, it was my mistake.”

 

“See?” Sam told Dean. “He’s sorry. He didn’t mean it. If he really wanted to kill you still, he would have done so already. Just relax, we’ll see if we can salvage anything at Bobby’s and then get back to the hotel. Everything will be fine.”

 

“Yeah, Sam,” Dean was using a mocking tone. “Everything will be fine. Why don’t you take your own advice and quit moping about every damn thing?”

 

Sam bit his lip to keep from retorting as Dean got into the Impala and slammed the door. He knew that his brother had a point, of course, but Dean also couldn’t understand what Sam was feeling. He wished his brother could be a little more supportive, but Dean had tried and when he couldn’t understand the reasoning behind Sam’s feelings, it just got him frustrated and angry.

 

Sam got into the passenger seat and Castiel got into the back. Dean pulled toward the road, glaring at the angel in the rearview mirror.

 

“So what got you to stop from taking my head off?”

 

“I heard your brother call out the name you two gave me. I remembered the name and that only two people would call me ‘Cas’.”

 

Dean huffed, glancing at Sam. “Oh. Well, thanks Sammy.”

 

“I just got lucky,” Sam admitted. “I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t think I could save you.”

 

“But you did,” Dean reminded him with a small smirk.

  
Yeah he did. But it wasn’t enough to make up for the countless times Dean saved him. The lengths he went to in order to make sure his younger brother was safe, including literally going to Hell and turning into a demon. Sam just wanted Dean to know he’d do the same in a heartbeat. That he was sorry for failing him so many times.

 

“Sam, seriously.” Dean gave his brother a hard look. “Whatever you’re crying about in your head, quit it. It’s not worth it. How about you ask your angel friend what he’s been up to? It was your plan to ask him while we’re driving.”

 

Sam turned his attention back to the angel. Dean was right.

 

“Where did you go when you used that…spell thing….to get rid of the angels?”

 

“I went back to heaven with them when I used that spell. They were not pleased with me. I tried to escape them, but my brothers and sisters found me.” Castiel actually sounded annoyed. “They said they would have killed me, but they would make me suffer a worse fate. I was informed that they were closing Heaven’s gates because of this virus.”

 

“Why would they close heaven?” Sam asked.

 

“They are upset. My brothers and sisters wanted a battle between Lucifer and Michael. Zachariah is currently one of the main angels in charge, he convinced them all that closing the gates would be a good idea because humanity decided it didn’t want to be saved. Also, they did not like that heaven would be overflowing with many souls all at once with the amount of people dying.”

 

“What do you mean, we don’t want to be saved?” Sam couldn’t believe that _heaven_ , the place that he had prayed to, that was supposed to be _good_ , gave up on them. “Even if Michael and Lucifer fought it out, they were going to start an actual apocalypse, and more people would have died than there are now!”

 

“Zachariah said that if the battle would have happened, he would have opened heaven up to all the souls with open arms.”

 

“With open arms, my ass…,” Dean muttered from the driver’s seat. “So basically, they were butthurt that things didn’t go their way.”

 

“I am unsure if their bottoms were hurt in the process…”

 

Sam interrupted the angel’s clueless statement. “Yeah, that’s what it sounds like,” he agreed with his brother. “Since Zachariah couldn’t have his way, he’s making all of humanity suffer and won’t give the dead the peace they deserve.”

 

“Yes, that is a more accurate description of what is happening than what Dean just described.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Where the hell have you been if the angels just dumped you? Couldn’t you have just teleported to this area to try and help us?”

 

“I wish I could have. I was trying to find my way toward you two, to find Bobby Singer’s house. I still had a long while to go, so it is a good thing you learned how to summon me.” Castiel paused for a moment, when he spoke again, he seemed frustrated. “When I used that spell and carved it into myself, it damaged me. I can no longer teleport and my powers are extremely weakened.”

 

“And I’m guessing when good ol’ Zach sent you back down to Earth, he refused to give you your mojo back?” Dean huffed.

 

“Yes, I think. If you are referring to this ‘mojo’ as my angel powers.”

 

Dean gave Sam an annoyed glance. “Well, at least he’s learning,” he muttered.

 

“Cas.” Sam turned around once more to look at the angel. He didn’t look so out of place anymore, he almost looked just like any other lost and helpless person in this new world. “How did you survive this long without your full powers? Especially with all these demons after you.”

 

To Sam’s surprise, the angel looked a bit offended. “I am not helpless. I knew I had to learn to adapt since I have no choice but to stay here. I learned to use my limited powers to my best ability and how to use a gun. I practiced my fighting skills. I still cannot be killed, but it takes me longer to heal.  I have been seriously wounded by some demons in the beginning, but I have learned from my mistakes. It also helps that I managed to sneak this out of heaven.”

 

Castiel pulled out the blade he had threatened Dean with.  It was sharp and long, the blade and the handle were both one shiny, silver color.

 

“I’m guessin’ that can pretty much kill anything, since you tried to use it on me?” Dean asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at the blade. His face showed interest in the weapon.

 

“I do sincerely apologize for that. And yes, this is often referred to as an angel blade. It can kill nearly anything, including angels themselves.”

 

“Holy shit.” Dean was impressed.

 

Sam shared his brother’s appreciation for the blade. “Wow…that’s great. So you were able to learn to fight in combat with the blade, without the help of your powers.”

 

“Yes, I…”

 

“Sam!” Dean suddenly shouted. “We have a problem!”

 

Dean quickly turned the Impala to the left, down a mostly residential, smaller street. Sam finally took in his surroundings and realized that they were driving through part of downtown Sioux Falls as a way to get to the remains of Bobby’s house.

 

It took Sam another short moment to realize what had Dean in such worry. There were demons….and the more Sam focused, the more demons he could sense. They were coming nearer.  Sam turned to tell Castiel, but from the look on the angel’s face, he could also sense what kind of danger they were in.

 

“We need to hide, now!” Dean informed them. He was looking left to right frantically, on either side of the street.

 

“Right there!” Sam pointed ahead to their left. There was an older style large house with a garage clearly attached in the front. It didn’t look like any of the windows were broken and that it could house them for a short while in order to hide out.

 

Dean pulled up the driveway, flicking his arm up to open the garage door. No surprises seemed to await them; the garage was mostly empty and obviously had been looted from the look of the smashed rubble on the ground.

 

“It’ll work,” Dean said. He pulled the Impala inside, and quickly, but as quietly as he possibly could, closed the large door with his powers.  Sam watched as Dean slowly moved his hand downward as he stared behind him at the door. His face held pure concentration. Slamming it shut would obviously alert the demons, and while they may not know where the sound came from, they would know the general direction.  The three of them couldn’t afford that.

 

Dean only let out a breath when the door was closed without a loud thud.

 

“I think they’re closer than we realize. They can’t sense me, but there’s a lot of them around….if they see us, we’d be outnumbered.”

 

“How long do you think we should stay here?” Sam asked. If they waited too long, Bobby would start to get worried and then he’d go out looking for that. Sam didn’t want to be responsible for him getting hurt.

 

“Overnight at least, maybe they’re just sweeping the area, going up and down the streets looking for….whatever it is they’re looking for. I have no idea what’s going on, or what their plan is. Maybe they’re looking for monsters and the demons are the ones making them go all crazy.”

 

“Do you think they’re recruiting monsters to work for them?”

 

“Maybe. But it can’t be that simple. It wouldn’t explain their erratic behavior.” Dean got out of the car. “Might as well search the house, make sure it’s safe.”

 

“I’ve seen these monsters as well,” Castiel told them. “I had to kill many who tried to attack me. I cannot think of a reason why they would attempt to attack an angel, and they are behaving in other unnatural ways. But I do think that it seems rather…controlling.”

 

“You think someone is controlling their actions?” Sam asked.

 

“Yes, it seems that way.”

 

“You’re gonna help us find a monster eventually so we can capture it and demand answers,” Dean ordered. Sam didn’t think it was a wise idea to order an angel to do anything. But Castiel probably wouldn’t be offended, since he had worked with Dean before and understood his behavior.

 

“I would like to help you, yes.”

 

“Good. Now be quiet while we scour this house.”

 

 

 

Dean opened up the unlocked door to the house and stepped inside first. It didn’t smell like rotting flesh, so that was a good sign. They were in the kitchen and to the right was the living room. Dean noticed the stairs and pointed to them.

 

“Angel, you take the upstairs. Me an’ Sammy will search down here,” he whispered. To his relief, Castiel nodded and listened, heading up the stairs. Maybe the guy had learned a thing or two in the time he had been away.

 

Dean touched his brother’s shoulder, motioning with his other hand toward the dark hallway.

 

“If there’s anything in here, don’t shoot. We can’t alert the demons, take out your machete. If it’s a Croat, I’ll try and get to it first, but you gotta try and kill it the hard way.”

 

“Chop its head off.” Sam nodded.

 

“Yeah, would be nice if we could get that angel to give us his blade.”

 

“We can’t expect him to do that, it’s his.”

 

They stopped in front of a room where the door was slightly cracked open. Dean motioned for them to stand back a bit. He could open the door with his powers, so there was no point in standing right over the door. This way, they would have more room to fight if something tried to attack them.

 

Dean looked at his bother, tilting his head to ask if he was ready. When Sam nodded, Dean held his hand up, causing the door to swing open.

 

Both brothers had their machetes raised, but nothing greeted them. They waited a moment, staring into the room that looked like the master bedroom. Looking at each other, they silently decided it was okay to step inside.

 

Dean didn’t notice anything too out of the ordinary at first, a door that led to the master bathroom probably, some clothes thrown on the ground, a smashed picture that must have fallen from the wall. Squinting at the corner by the dresser, he then noticed a small pile of food wrappers, almost as if someone had been squatting….

 

He heard the growl too late. Something jumped on top of him, coming from behind the door he had noticed earlier. The force was enough to knock him backwards, and the surprise from the attack had the machete falling from his hand.

 

Hands were scrapping at his face, a mouth full of rotting teeth was snapping at him, trying to bite any part of his body it could reach. A damn Croat, a heavy one at that.

 

“Dean!” Sam quietly called out in surprise. Luckily, the Croat didn’t hear him, or didn’t care to go for Sam instead. It’s fingers gouged Dean’s cheek, but he was able to grab its hand afterward and snap the wrist back in one quick motion. Hopefully it would be enough to get the Croat to be still for a moment so Sam could go for it’s neck. Dean knew Sam wouldn’t swing if there was a chance he’d accidentally hit his brother, even if it wouldn’t kill him.

 

The thing gurgled out a scream, it’s breath so rancid that even Dean wanted to throw up his breakfast, and demons didn’t puke. Dean would have hurt the Croat more if it weren’t for the screaming. They couldn’t have the Croat yelling much louder than this.

 

Blood splattered all over Dean’s face in an instant. Sam was standing above him, his machete stuck in the thick flesh of the Croat’s neck. The thing, it had once been a middle aged man, gurgled, blood falling from its mouth as well and onto Dean’s shirt. It wasn’t dead, but it was severely weakened. Shoving at it, Dean pushed the infected man off of him and rolled to the side.

 

He was about to pull out his own machete and finish the job when he was saw? Sam walk up to the creature. He pulled his weapon out of its neck angrily and brought the blade swinging down again, this time decapitating the thing.

 

“Nice job there, Sammy.” Dean smirked from where he sat on the ground.

 

“I’ve got your back,” Sam told him, and Dean didn’t know why. Of course Sam had his back, he knew that. It was almost as if Sam was saying it to convince himself. Whatever, kid was a good hunter; he had to know that about himself.

 

Sam walked over to Dean after retrieving his blade and held out his hand. Okay, it was obvious now that the kid wanted to feel useful. And he _was_ damn it, in more ways than he would ever realize. But if helping his brother to stand up would make Sam feel better about himself, his brother that was a _demon_ and didn’t have any trouble hopping right up after that attack, then Dean would humor him. He took the offered hand and pretended to let Sam help him up.

 

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. Dean had to fight hard not to roll his eyes. “Those gouges on your cheek look pretty deep.”

 

“Yeah, and they’ll heal in two minutes. I’m fine.”

 

“Turn around and drop those knives!”

 

The voice of a woman filled the room and the brothers turned around. She was small, probably around their age, and holding a pistol. Dean chuckled.

 

“I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you, I know how to use this and I’ll shoot you in the head in you don’t drop your weapons right now!”

 

Dean smirked at Sam, who was giving the girl a sad look. “Let’s just go with it Sammy.” He winked, letting Sam know he had a plan.

 

His younger brother gave him a warning look as they dropped their blades down.  Sam didn’t want Dean to do anything stupid, he didn’t want the girl hurt.

 

Dean wasn’t going to hurt her, unless she hurt Sam. But he _was_ going to scare the crap outta her.

 

“We just offed that big fat Croat, lady. You should be kissing our feet.” Dean smirked.

 

“I got into this house first. That makes it mine. And I don’t like the look of you two.”

 

“Maybe you’ve got good reason, you should just turn around and leave right now.”

 

“Really? Why’s that? I have the gun, you two don’t have anything!”

 

Dean smirked, he held his hand out, palm up, and brought his fingers toward him. The gun went flying out of the woman’s hand and into his own. She gasped with fright, her face going even paler when Dean reached up and took off his sunglasses, his black eyes staring right at her.

 

“That’s why.”

 

“Dean!” Sam called out. “Leave her alone!”

 

“Relax, I’m just having fun.”

 

Dean walked up to her, the woman slowly backing away, tears now in her eyes. “Please, please don’t kill me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll leave right now!”

 

Dean sighed. “I was messing around. I’m one of the good guys, believe it or not, and we stopped in here to hide from the demons that are parading in the area. Me and them…we don’t get along.”

 

The woman was still shaking, her eyes holding mistrust and her gaze couldn’t seem to tear away from Dean’s black eyes.

 

“Here, I’m gonna give you back your gun. But if you point it at my brother, I’m gonna snap your neck.”

 

He held the gun out toward her; she looked down at the weapon, at Dean, and then over to Sam, who was probably giving her a puppy-like smile.

 

“Well, come on. I haven’t got all day.”

 

Finally, she decided to reach out, quickly snatching the gun and avoiding touching his hands, as if Dean was going to burn her. It was a good thing of her part that she tucked the gun in her waistband instead of trying to shoot either one of them. Smart girl.

 

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked, taking a step forward. “Do you live here?”

 

The woman looked back and forth between the brothers. She hesitated a bit too long for Dean’s liking.

 

“Well…out with it!” he growled.

 

“Dean!”

 

“I was looking for my cousin,” the woman blurted out suddenly. “I don’t live here. I’m just passing through while searching for him.”

 

“What happened?” Dean asked.

 

“He…he went out looking for food and didn’t come back.”

 

“You know he’s probably dead, right?”

 

“Dean! Enough!”

 

Dean turned to face his brother with a scowl. “Just telling her the truth, Sammy!”

 

“Wait, wait a minute…” The woman was now smiling while looking at the brothers. “You’re Dean and… you’re Sam?” She turned to face Dean again. “And you said you were brothers.”

 

“Yeah. So?”

 

“So...there’s people out there looking for you. They never mentioned one of you was a demon, but I can see why they would keep that information secret. Two women were looking…”

 

"People are looking for us?" Sam was worried. Dean understood. Those people could have been demons, or maybe angry hunters that were after them because they had found out Dean was a demon. There were tons of possibilities, and many of them weren't good. They didn't need any more danger and trouble than they were already dealing with.

 

"Are you sure they weren't demons? What did they want?" Dean asked gruffly.

 

"No, they weren't. It was a mother and daughter. They said you were friends."

 

"Ellen and Jo?" Sam asked with a smile, coming to that conclusion before Dean. Honestly, Dean had forgotten about them.

 

“I know the older one’s name was Ellen, I never caught her daughter’s name.”

 

“Dean!” Sam faced his brother, all smiles. “They’re alive! We’ve got to find them!”

 

Huh. Dean hadn’t thought they’d made it. Bobby had lost contact with them when the phone lines went down, and even though the women were trained hunters, Dean thought it was best to just assume everyone you knew was dead.

 

“Where were they?” Dean asked the woman. He didn’t like her. He didn’t like the way she was smiling at them, it seemed fake. But he knew Sam would make them take her with them.

 

“I ran into them about a week ago. They were hiding out in the public library before they started to search for you again.”

 

At this moment, Castiel decided to step into the room, startling the woman. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”

 

“Who is he?!” the woman yelped.

 

“That’s our friend, Castiel,” Sam told her.

 

“He’s an angel, literally.” Dean chuckled.

 

"An angel? They're real?"

 

Castiel ignored her. “Is this woman coming with us?”

 

“Yeah, listen….” Sam began talking to the woman, his voice gentle. “We have a hotel all set up. It’s safe there and it has power and everything. There’s survivors and we’re starting up a community. I want you to come with us.”

 

“May I come with you to this hotel as well?” Castiel asked.

 

What an idiot. Dean wasn't looking forward to dealing with the angel's lack of common sense once again. “No, you have to stay in the shack outside.”

 

“That’s okay. I am fine with that.”

 

“I’m joking, you ass. Of course you can stay in the damn hotel.” Dean sighed, this was getting frustrating. “Okay, now we’re going to sleep. Was there anything upstairs?”

 

“There were two infected children that I disposed of.”

 

“Okay, good. Now we’re safe here. We’re gonna wait until tomorrow when the demons hopefully go somewhere else and we can escape. Then, we’re going to find some old friends that this lady said she saw. After that we stop at Bobby’s and then we’re done.”

 

Dean then spoke to Castiel directly. “How about you keep an eye on her in one of the other bedrooms?”

 

“I can do that,” Castiel agreed.

 

“He doesn’t sleep, just so you know!” Dean called out as the angel walked away with the woman following him. “So don’t even think of trying anything sneaky!”

 

“Dean…” Sam put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You need to relax.”

 

“I do not need to relax!” Dean threw the hand off of him. “You need to take this more seriously! We don’t know who the hell she is. She could be a violent scavenger or one of those nasty pieces of shit we met with Aiden. Just cause she’s human doesn’t mean we don’t take precautions.”

 

Dean walked out of the bedroom and up the stairs, passing Castiel and the woman who were sitting on the couch in the living room. The brothers needed to find another bedroom that didn’t have a rotting body inside of it.

 

“We will take precautions, Dean,” Sam said as they walked. “She’s scared, she lost her cousin and...”

 

“Didn’t seem too upset about losing him.” Dean shrugged.

 

“Like you said, she knows he's probably dead.”

 

“If she did think that way, then she wouldn’t have been looking for him. The way I see this, if someone really was looking for a loved one, they’d be more upset, desperate. She didn’t even argue when I mentioned going back to the hotel. If I were missing, would you  give up and go live with some other people if there was a chance I was in danger?”

 

“Of course not Dean.” Sam sounded offended. “But not everyone is like us. Not everyone has a bond like we do.  Some people would rather have safety than risk themselves looking for loved ones.”

 

Maybe Sam did have a point there. But geeze, if a demon was more dedicated to his loved ones than a human, what did that say for the state of humanity?

 

Dean opened one of the doors and saw a queen bed. The only other bedroom had tiny single beds and two dead Croat children that Cas had mentioned. So it looked like they’d be forced to share a bed.

 

“I miss my room,” Dean muttered, sitting down on the bed with a sigh. He shook the covers a bit, to get rid of any dust and possible bugs.

 

“Of course you do. Who wouldn’t miss that memory foam mattress and air conditioning?”

 

“And I miss the silence most of all. Not having to listen to your snoring was amazing.”

 

Sam sat down on the other side of the bed and shoved Dean…with his own powers…almost enough to push him off the bed.

 

“I’m not that loud!” he protested.

 

“How would you know, you sleep right through it!”

 

Dean chuckled as Sam pouted and got under the covers. It was partly true. He always hated the snoring. But he had gotten used to it. Now, in his own room, it was almost too quiet. It was difficult to fall asleep those past few nights at their new suite, especially when he also was constantly worrying if something bad would happen to his brother, and he wouldn’t be right there to save him. It was comforting in a way to always have Sam in the same room,in a bed right next to his, knowing that he was safe and if anything went wrong, Dean would be right there.

 

 

Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact he could easily teleport right into Sam’s room at the first sign of danger, Dean might have forced a redesign of the bedrooms and put two doubles in one room.

 

Sam was already snoring, and it was that annoying sound that put Dean into an easy sleep.

 

 

The demons were gone by the time they woke up. For once, nothing odd happened that morning. They ate some crackers and canned fruit, Sam drank his blood when the woman, they found out her name was Hailey, wasn’t in the room.

 

They were on the road quickly, Hailey giving them directions to the library she had seen Ellen and Jo in.

 

Dean slammed on his breaks and spun the car around suddenly, heading in the opposite direction they had been going in.

 

“Dean, what are you doing?” Sam asked in shock. “The library was four blocks away.”

 

“Didn’t you sense that?” He slowed the car to a complete stop. “Focus,” he ordered.

 

Sam did. At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary. But then he felt the faint presence of demons, and lots of them.

 

“The library must be infested with demons.” Castiel noticed the presence as well.

 

“Exactly! And I wouldn’t have even noticed it until it was too late, if I wasn’t on edge already!” Dean turned toward Hailey, who sat in the backseat next to Castiel. “What the hell lady! You said you were here with Ellen and Jo and there’s a demonic party going on in there!”

 

“It wasn’t like that last week, I swear!” Hailey seemed desperate. “Please, you have to believe me. I was just here, looking for my cousin.  I ran into your friends. There were no demons.”

 

Why would this lady lie? Dean couldn’t think of a single good reason. Sure, her cousin story might be weird, but no human would willingly drive into a demon infestation.

 

“Okay, then. I guess we just head to Bobby’s.” Dean put the Impala in drive and took an alternant route to the remains of the house.

 

“We can’t just leave!” Sam argued, of course he was going to start this up. “Dean, what if Ellen and Jo are in there?”

 

“Sam. Don’t be an idiot. There’s tons of demons in there. Either Ellen and Jo are dead or they’re screwed. There’s nothing we can do. Or, they got out before the demons took the place over.”

 

“If they got out, we’ve gotta search for them,” Sam demanded and for a second Dean was afraid Sam would reach over and try to turn the Impala around.

 

“Oh yeah, let’s search all of Sioux Falls. Just ask Hailey what the odds are of finding them.”

 

The woman stayed silent but Sam wasn’t about to give up. “If they’re out there, we can’t just leave them!”

 

“We can and we will. There’s no way we’re going to search this entire city, especially not when it’s crawling with demons. It’s a death wish and I won’t allow it.”

 

Dean knew Sam was human and couldn’t let people go as easily as he could. But truth was, they were probably dead and there was nothing they could do anyway. Dean wasn’t going to risk everything on searching for a couple people, it didn’t matter if they used to be their friends. Yeah, Sam would be pissed at him for a bit, but he was a demon and he wasn’t going to pretend he cared.

 

“Dean is right,” Castiel spoke up. Good, the angel was on his side with this one. Two against one. Ha. “It would be nearly impossible to find them, even if they are alive.”

 

“I’ll tell you what Sam.” Dean decided to offer Sam an idea that would possibly cheer him up. “We’ll keep an eye out as we drive by. If Ellen and Jo did escape, they were looking for us. They would have headed toward Bobby’s anyway. They wouldn’t hide in the city.”

 

“Yeah.” Sam sighed and turned to look out the window, at least somewhat content with that idea for the time being.

 

Dean was honestly hoping they wouldn't find the two women. Not because he wished they were dead, it would be cool if they did live, but he wasn’t going to be upset if they weren't. But the reason why he didn't want to find them was because the women would eventually find out he was a demon. Even if they got back to the hotel without Dean taking off his sunglasses, he would have to reveal what he truly was to them eventually, and he couldn’t see it going down well. Especially with Ellen.

 

The less drama, the better.

 

Once they arrived at the ruins, however, Dean knew there would be a ton of drama ahead.

 

Standing next to a blue car, staring at the rubble of the burnt down house, were both Ellen and Jo. They turned at the sound of the approaching Impala. Ellen looked rather weary, and Jo was all smiles.

 

“I TOLD you they made it out,” she said, glaring at her mother.

 

Dean parked the Impala and ordered Castiel to stay with Hailey. Sam got out, rushing toward the two women.He hugged them both while Dean trailed awkwardly behind, sunglasses firmly in place.

 

Jo smirked at him. She always had a crush on him, and it looked like that hadn’t changed. Too bad she’d freak once she found out the truth about him, it would have been fun to get together with her.

 

“Well are you just gonna stand there, Dean?” Ellen motioned to how the older brother just stood there, hands in his pockets.

 

“Hi,” Dean said. He didn’t feel like hugging. And if he did, it would be obvious to the woman that it wasn’t a genuine embrace. The only person he’d ever bother to deal with a hug from was Sam. And maybe Bobby occasionally.

 

“He’s…,” Sam began to explain, giving Dean an exasperated look.

 

“I think I get it,” Ellen said. “He went to Hell for you. An experience like that has gotta change a person.”

 

“You’ve got no idea,” Dean mumbled.

 

Jo walked over to him and chuckled. “Nice hair.” It was nice to have people not be weary of him for the time being.

 

“Shut up.”

 

“And shades. Trying to look tough? It’s not even sunny today.”

 

“Exactly. I’m one tough badass. Gotta look the part.”

 

“He hurt his eyes,” Sam lied. “There was an explosion early on during the virus. Dean was close to it. He hurt his arm and his vision is sensitive now.”

 

Dean wasn’t sure if an explosion could have tampered with someone’s vision. But Ellen and Jo didn’t question them. So all seemed to be good.

 

“What happened to you guys?" Sam continued. "We met a woman who said you were staying at the library, but we drove by and it was full of demons.”

 

“Hailey?” Ellen asked, glancing at the car. “She’s one of the two people in the car, isn’t she? Yeah, we met up with her. Exchanged some goods. Later on that day after she left, demons started to invade the building.”

“We lost Rufus,” Jo informed them, solemnly. “He was traveling with us. He was out looking for food when Hailey came. We figure the demons must have followed him back to the library unnoticed since they attacked soon after that. He used himself as a distraction so we could escape.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Sam sighed, sadly. “Rufus was a good man.”

 

 _And also someone that would have never trusted a demon_ , Dean thought bitterly. Ellen and Jo would be hard enough to convince, but Rufus? There was no way. So maybe things had worked out for the best, although Dean would never tell Sam that.

 

Enough of this chit chat. Dean just wanted to get this over with. But they’d have to wait until they were back at the hotel, where Bobby could defend him and convince Ellen he wasn’t going to kill everyone in their sleep.

 

“We came to see if anything was salvageable,” Dean told them curtly.

 

Ellen looked a bit put off by Dean’s ‘new’ behavior. Jo didn’t really seem to think there was anything too odd about it though. She answered Dean without any hesitation.

 

“We were looking around. There doesn’t seem to be anything. This place burned down really good. What the hell happened?”

 

“We accidentally let a psychopathic man stay with us,” Dean told them honestly.

 

“He burned down the house?” Ellen asked, her voice holding disbelief. “Why would he…”

 

Before Ellen could finish, or Dean could answer, there was a loud howl. Dean knew exactly what it was before he even saw the things.

 

“Shit, those Wendigos that we didn’t get. Sam!”

 

“Come on!” Sam ushered Ellen and Jo toward their cars. “Hurry, get into your car and follow us!”

 

They took off running, but unfortunately, one of the Wendigos were closer than they thought. One darted out to their right, it’s sights set on Jo.

 

Dean saw Castiel get out of the car, angel blade ready. But there was no way he’d get to Jo in time, and Dean couldn’t bring down the creature either.

 

He really had no choice, unless he wanted to watch Jo get ripped to shreds. And he didn’t want that. He could do something to help her. There had been two that Ruby hadn’t been able to kill, and Castiel would be able to stop them and protect Sammy.

 

What he was about to do would reveal what he was, but she would be bound to find out soon enough anyway.

 

Dean grabbed a hold of Jo, and focused. The girl let out a scream of surprise, and suddenly, they were teleported out of the way, behind a few junk cars.

 

Jo looked up in horror at Dean’s face, her handspromptly let go of where they held onto his shirt and she pulled out her gun, aiming it at Dean's chest even though she knew it wouldn't do any good.

 

“D…Dean?” she asked, as if she didn’t believe this thing in front of her was him.

 

“It is me,” Dean admitted, reaching up to pull off his sunglasses. He stared at the horrified girl through his black eyes, added a little smirk just for kicks. “Just a little different.”

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

_I apologize for the delay, but here is an extra long chapter to make up for it! I had a bit of a writer's block, but now I'm back on track. Thank you for the reviews!_

* * *

"No, that can't be…," Jo whispered, but Dean already had turned his attention away from her. He looked back towards Sam, and was relieved to see that Castiel had taken down one Wendigo and the other was charging toward him, and not Sam.

"Is…that's really you, isn't it?" Jo asked. Dean turned around to see her staring up at him, her gun now down at her side.

"Isn't that what I just told you?"

"It has to be. The way you were just looking at Sam, so worried…only Dean would look at him like that." She paused for a moment. "And Sam was with you and making up excuses for your eyes. He knows you're a demon. How long…"

"What? How long I was in Hell? 80 years about, in Hell time. If you mean how long I've been travelling with Sam, then that would be two years."

Jo shook her head in awe. "That…you can't be evil then. Sam wouldn't allow it. And Bobby was with you too! Does he…"

"Oh yeah, he knows. Now listen. Yes, I'm a demon. I went to Hell and turned into one. No, I'm not gonna kill you or go on a rampage. If you couldn't tell by now, I'm different. I've got Sam to help me. Now we have to go back and you better not say anything about me if your mom didn't notice the teleporting."

Jo's cautious look changed to that of a slight smile. "You're scared of my mom?"

"I'm sick and tired of being judged and hated for no goddamn reason, when all I do is help people out." Dean gritted his teeth. He glanced over to see that the other Wendigo was dead. Ellen was looking around frantically. But she wasn't acting if she had just seen a demon. Good, her back must have been turned when they teleported.

Jo saw this as well and sighed, Dean's words seemed to have made her upset. "Well, I'll be one person that isn't going to hate you. I can't say I'll be super comfortable around a demon at first. But you're definitely still Dean, I can see that. And I trusted Dean back then, so I'm willing to trust you now too. I won't tell her."

"Okay, good," Dean said, at loss of what else he should say. "She'll find out on her own soon enough, now let's go back. No teleporting this time." He placed his sunglasses back on.

"The teleporting was actually pretty cool," Jo admitted. They stepped out from behind the pile of cars. Dean saw Sam look at Ellen and point at the both of them.

"Good thing you guys were able to get away." Sam was covering for him. Good thing his brother had the same idea. Wait until they got back to the hotel and had Bobby for defense before letting Ellen know.

"How did you get away so fast?" Ellen ran over to Jo, grabbing her face in her hands in which the daughter quickly shrugged off.

"Dean saved me," she said.

Sam breathed a silent sigh of relief, but Dean caught the motion. His brother realized that Jo was at least not assuming Dean was a crazy evil demon and was glad that she was willing to give Dean the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm pretty fast." Dean grinned.

Ellen didn't seem to care exactly how Dean was fast enough to get Jo to safety, but rather was just happy that her daughter was unharmed. "Thank you, Dean."

Yeah, this kindness wouldn't last long. Dean shrugged. "If she had better reflexes, she wouldn't have needed my saving. Someone needs some more practice."

Jo glared at Dean but didn't say any more. Dean walked over to his brother and the angel.

"You'll never believe it, but this guy…," he motioned to Castiel, "is an angel." Hopefully Cas wouldn't be stupid enough to reveal Dean's…demon-ness…to the women.

"Hello. It is nice to meet you." Castiel nodded toward the hunters.

"An angel?" Ellen scoffed. "They're real? You expect us to believe that?"

"How else would he have a blade that kills anything? It's an angel blade. He's on our side." Dean pointed at the bloody blade that Castiel held.

"Then why aren't there other angels here helping us too?" Ellen seemed skeptical. Not that Dean could actually blame her. When he was human, he had been convinced that angels could never exist. But maybe that was just him being a stupid stubborn-ass.

"My brothers and sisters have abandoned all of mankind," Castiel stated calmly, explaining why no other angels were about.

"What the hell?" Ellen glanced at Sam and Dean. "Care to explain any of this?

The older brother only shrugged. "We'll explain it all when we get to the hotel. Now follow us back before anything else decides to attack us. With our luck, a monster parade will come marching by."

Sam, Dean and Castiel got into the Impala with Hailey and drove off, Ellen and Jo followed behind in their car.

"Jo actually is okay with this?" Sam asked, gaping.

"What? With my demon-ness? I guess. She was scared, but apparently she said she could tell it was still me."

"How? She's a hunter, I thought she'd be out to get you as soon as she found out."

"I don't know. She said she could tell it was me when I looked back to see if you were okay. Some shit about 'no one would be that worried except for Dean'."

Sam watched Dean blush and look away, back toward the road. Of course, it was always their bond that showed people that Dean was still himself. It's what proved it to Bobby, and now Jo. Their relationship showed the other survivors from Bobby's place that Dean wasn't a bad guy; he was just a demon who was very protective over his brother and still had human tendencies. Hopefully, Ellen would see all this too.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the hotel, Bobby was there in the garage parking lot waiting for them, as expected.

"You boys okay?" He rushed over to greet the brothers as they stepped out of the car, raising an eyebrow in silent question at Dean's sunglasses.

"We're fine. Had to stop for the night. Ran into some familiar faces," Dean told him. Seconds after he spoke, the Harvelles' car rolled into the garage and Bobby's mouth opened when he saw who was inside it.

"They were at your place," Sam informed him. "Luckily we ran into them before they left the wreck."

Bobby looked over at the two people who got out of the Impala. "And you did manage to bring back the angel. And…who's that lady?"

"Her name's Hailey, we found her when we were squatting in a house," Sam explained.

"Yeah, a weird one. Keep an eye on her." Dean grumbled, folding his arms. Sam wished he would drop it. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary about the woman.

Bobby turned his attention back to Ellen and Jo, who were getting out of their car.

"Do they know?" he asked quickly, staring pointedly at Dean's sunglasses.

"Jo does. Seems cool with it. Not Ellen," Dean answered.

"We'll handle it when she does find out." Bobby placed a hand on Dean's shoulder briefly. Ellen and Jo made their way over and Sam noticed how Jo was looking back and forth between Dean and Bobby.

Sam knew that she was watching their interactions very closely, trying to see what Bobby's relationship was like, and the level of trust that was between the two. She was paying special attention to the smile Bobby wore when he looked at Dean, and the hand that was on his shoulder.

"How about you boys unpack and I'll help Ellen and Jo settle in?" Bobby saved them from any sort of awkward conversation, obviously trying to get Dean up in the lobby where other people would be there to defend him.

The brothers headed back to the Impala to grab their things. Castiel approached them as they opened the trunk of the car.

"I would like to help."

"Good," Dean said. He picked up the toolbox he took from the first house they camped in and also a few boxes from the storage unit. He shoved them into Castiel's hands. "Take these up."

Dean glanced over toward Hailey, who was leaning against the Impala.

"Get your body off my baby and do something useful," he growled.

"Dean." Sam grabbed his brother's arm and turned him away from the girl. "I know you don't like her, for whatever reason. But just try not to be such an ass."

"She can get off her ass and help."

"She's new here and doesn't know what's going on or what to do. Just...chill out with her. Ask her to help instead of insulting her."

"You're trying to tell me not to insult people? I'm a de..." Dean stopped, realizing the mistake he would be making and huffed. He grabbed a few more bags and thrust them towards Hailey. "Take these upstairs and don't even think of swiping anything from these bags."

The brothers grabbed the remaining supplies and Dean closed the trunk using his powers.

"Now follow me and Sam, and hurry up." Dean marched ahead of the group and toward the elevator that would lead up to the lobby.

"What's his problem?" Hailey asked, not seeming as frightened of Dean as she had earlier in the house.

"Well, he  _is_ a demon. And he's probably tired and he's irritated because he's going to have to tell Ellen that he's a demon. She's an old friend, but she's also a hunter, and probably won't take it well."

"The girl seemed okay with it."

"Jo...she always liked Dean. I think she not only had a crush on him, but looked up to him as well. I think she has a more positive outlook on things than her mom. She's probably willing to take Dean's word that he's good. He deserves that."

"But is any demon really good?" Hailey asked.

Sam couldn't respond though, because they met up with Dean, who was impatiently holding the elevator door open for them. He didn't want Dean to overhear their conversation.

"If you want proof that I'm 'good', just know that I could force these doors closed as you're walking through them. Split you right in half. But I won't. How's that for good?"

"Dean!" So much for him not overhearing.

"Not my fault these idiots don't realize how truly evil most demons are. If you walked right by any ordinary demon, they'd snap their fingers and break your neck! Oh no, they'd probably torture the hell outta you first."

"As an angel, I can confirm that Dean is a demon with good intentions," Castiel admitted. "He does not behave like the rest of them."

"Okay, okay." Sam thought he heard Hailey huff after she spoke. "I get it. But then maybe other demons can also have good intentions."

Dean glared at Hailey, but before either brother could say anything Castiel came back into the conversation.

"You do not understand. Dean is different because he has his brother by his side. Sam is his soulmate. He is able to fight against the darkness because of the bond they share..."

"Okay, enough! Stop!" Luckily for Dean, they reached the lobby. He immediately bolted out of the elevator and dumped their stuff on the ground.

Sam followed him, and Sadie approached them. She looked up at Dean and raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the grumpy face?"

"Everything. Sam insisted we not only bring back the angel, but that annoying lady over there. Keep an eye on her."

"What's wrong with her?" Sadie asked, eyeing Hailey wearingly.

"Nothing," Sam calmed her worries. "We found her in the house we were staying in and Dean just doesn't like her."

"For good reasons!"

Sam rolled his eyes and addressed Sadie. "We brought back a few friends of ours too. One of them...she doesn't know Dean's a demon, so it might get a little ugly."

"We'll deal with it. I'll defend him," Sadie said, and Sam didn't notice how Dean smirked at this revelation. "Now, does the angel know any information about the whole soul business?"

"I don't know yet. We haven't had time to ask him." Sam sighed, thinking about what information Castiel would know. It might not be what he wanted to hear. "I figured we'd give him a little bit of time to settle in and feel comfortable. He lost a lot of his powers. Maybe Dean and I can talk to him tomorrow and find out what he knows."

"I guess that will work." Sadie looked behind Sam. "I think your friends are coming up."

Sam turned to see Ellen and Jo walking toward them with Bobby in tow. Other survivors began gathering around, wanting to meet the new members who would be living with them.

"I'm doing it now," Dean said, and Sam knew he was referring to telling Ellen he was a demon.

"Dean, you don't have to do it right this minute."

"It's better I tell her than someone else lets her know. Then she really won't ever trust me."

Sam knew Dean was right. And this way, he'd have more people in the room to defend him. He was just nervous for Ellen's reaction. He had no idea how she'd take this information.

The three hunters walked over to join the brothers and Dean immediately spoke up.

"Okay, I gotta tell you something."

"How about you take off those sunglasses inside. Trying to make a fashion statement?" Ellen joked.

"It's actually about that," Dean said. "And you better not go freaking out on me."

"Dean...," Bobby spoke up. His expression radiated concern and he joined Sam to stand by Dean's side.

Before Dean could continue, however, a group of four survivors walked over to join them. They started introducing themselves to Ellen and Jo. Sam looked around, and saw that a couple people were also talking to Castiel and Hailey. Maybe it was best for Dean to hold off on telling Ellen the truth.

He spared a look at his brother, hoping it silently conveyed his thoughts. Dean huffed and slouched, grudgingly agreeing. He wanted to get it over with, Sam understood that. But they'd have to do it later.

"Where are you guys from?" someone asked. It was Carl, the man from their group at Bobby's.

"All over. We're hunters. We actually were around a lot of the country before we came here," Jo answered him.

"Why'd you come here?"

"Things were getting bad out there," Ellen explained. "Sam, Dean and Bobby are our friends. We knew they were staying in Sioux Falls. Ee hoped they were still alive and we'd take the chance trying to find them."

"Hunters?" a man scoffed. Sam recognized him as the guy that had been giving Dean trouble at breakfast that first day. "How does this demon have so many hunter friends?"

Oh great.

Jo froze up, glancing at her mom with a worried look. Ellen cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Demon? What demon?"

"She doesn't know?" The man turned toward the group, looking straight at Dean. "What? You hid this from your own friends?" He looked back at Ellen. "Lady, you've been friends with a demon."

"What the hell are you talking about? None of those men have ever been demons. I'm a hunter. I know this better than you."

"Then he must have turned into one since you last saw him. If that's possible. I don't know how that shit works." The guy slowly backed away when he saw Ellen's expression change from friendly to hardened hunter in a few seconds.

"What is he talking about?" Ellen demanded. "Please tell me he's just a crazy man that's confused."

"Not exactly." Dean quickly reached up and pulled off his sunglasses before Sam could think of stopping him. He blinked, opening his eyes to reveal the black demon ones.

Ellen immediately stepped in front of Jo and pulled out a knife. Most of the survivors that had been chatting gasped in horror at the sight of the weapon.

Sam tensed with worry. He knew Dean could easily handle this, and of course he wouldn't hurt Ellen. But still, he didn't like anyone trying to hurt his brother, no mater what the circumstance was.

In a swift movement, Ellen lunged toward Dean. It wasn't like the knife would cause him much harm, but she probably assumed that attacking the demon in the room was better than doing nothing.

Dean easily reached up and blocked her arm. He pushed her backwards and before she could run towards him again, Dean flicked his wrist and the knife flew from her hand and into his own.

Ellen watched him with narrowed eyes. Dean handed the knife over to Bobby, who pocketed it.

Of course, the knife wasn't the only form of defense that Ellen had on her. She pulled out a gun next, aiming it at Dean's head.

"You get out of him!" Ellen looked around wildly. "Why aren't you all doing something? Are you all possessed? Oh god…we walked right into a trap."

Sadie slowly approached the group, staring at the gun in Ellen's hand. "Miss...there's no need for that."

"Don't you 'Miss' me! There's a demon standing in this supposed hotel sanctuary!"

"I think we're all aware of that," Sadie spoke calmly.

Ellen looked back over to Dean, realizing she had taken her attention off her prey. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw both Bobby and Sam standing protectively in front of him.

"You're protecting him? You knew about this?"

"It's Dean, Ellen," Sam told her. "He's not possessed. Remember, he went to Hell? He…this is how he came back. As a demon."

"Do you think we'd be living and working with him for years if we weren't certain that it's Dean?" Bobby asked.

Ellen narrowed her eyes. She pulled out a flask of holy water with her other hand, and splashed both Sam and Bobby. When nothing happened, she sighed.

"I can't believe this. Okay then, I get that it's Dean; that it's what he turned into. That doesn't mean that you work with something that we hunt!"

"Ellen, please. Don't think of him as a demon, think of him as  _Dean_." Sam took another step toward the woman. "He's one of us, he's still a hunter. And he's my brother."

"I was skeptical about him at first too," Bobby admitted. "But you have to stop and think. Would Dean, honestly, even as a demon, ever be evil? Would he ever work for the things he hunted and killed his whole life?"

"He could easily. If all other demons turn against humanity, why wouldn't he?"

"Dean went to Hell for me, Ellen," Sam said sadly. "He didn't go because he was a bad person. He sold his soul for my life. He was better than all the other souls down there. It's tougher to break a good person. He did turn into a demon, but he never lost who he was."

Ellen's resolve didn't waver at all. "And you expect me to believe that he can fight against any demon instincts? There's a reason why demons aren't human!"

"I get it Ellen," Bobby spoke up before Sam could. "Really. I do. Like I said, I didn't trust him at all when I first found out. I put him in handcuffs and left him in a devil's trap. But now…just thinking that I did this to Dean makes me sick. He's different than he was, but he's still himself."

"I'm right here," Dean huffed. "You're talking about me like I'm not even in the room."

Bobby glared at Dean. "Are you gonna explain all this to her, lay out the truth like this without being sarcastic and getting embarrassed?" When Dean didn't respond, Bobby smirked. "I didn't think so, idjit."

The older hunter turned his attention back to Ellen. "Just think…he has his brother with him. His brother who's by his side and accepts him. Do you have any idea what good that does to him? How it helps him? You know how close those two are. Dean was never evil, but these past years, I've seen him progress so much. He can fit in with people, he can hold better conversations, and he's more relaxed. But he never was going to hurt any innocent person, even in the beginning. We're just asking for you to give him a chance."

"Oh my god, Bobby, quit it," Dean groaned. Sam looked over at his brother to see him fidgeting with embarrassment. "And I thought Sammy was bad. You're making me sound like the lamest demon alive."

Bobby shrugged. "Well sorry. If you think fitting in with humanity counts as lame, then you definitely are."

While Ellen was taking in Dean and Bobby's interaction with confusion and interest, Jo gathered the nerve to walk up beside her mother.

"Mom. He saved my life. He teleported me out of the way. If he was a typical demon, he wouldn't have done that."

"You knew and didn't tell me?" Ellen was in shock.

"I didn't want you shooting him. I knew it would be hard to convince you."

Ellen glanced around at the group of hunters, as well as Sadie and the other survivors who didn't seem to be cowering for their lives with a demon in the room. She sighed loudly and finally put her gun down.

"I'm not an idiot. I can see that all of you accept him...and maybe even trust him. I'm willing to believe in your judgment and that he's not a danger. But I'm still a hunter, and I want you to stay away from me and my daughter. I'm never going to trust a demon."

"Sounds just like what someone told me years ago," Dean finally spoke up, smirking over at Bobby. "And look how that went. Still don't trust me, old man?"

Bobby smirked. "I was wrong. I stand corrected. But you're the only exception to that rule. I would never come anywhere close to trusting any other demon, not even Ruby."

"Ruby? Who the hell is Ruby?" Ellen asked, bewildered.

Sam joined Bobby and Dean on in their sighs. Of course nothing could be easy.

* * *

Sam wished he could spend the entire day in bed. But he knew if he slept much longer, Dean would come barging into his room and probably throw him off the bed with his powers. It happened before at Bobby's and wasn't an experience Sam cared to go through again.

Explaining the situation with Ruby to Ellen had been exhausting. It didn't help that Dean had kept trying to add in sarcastic remarks when the woman was nowhere near comfortable with him yet. Sam had eventually shooed Dean away so he and Bobby, as well as Sadie, who had allowed Ruby to help out with the hotel in the first place, could talk about the situation as calmly as possible.

Ellen was very on edge about the entire thing, of course. Sam wasn't even sure he liked Ruby coming back here as she pleased. But she did offer all the amenities that they wouldn't have otherwise. And both hunters assured Ellen that if Ruby even got slightly out of line, she would be killed. It was several dozen survivors, a handful of them hunters, and one a demon himself, against Ruby. She had to know she wouldn't stand a chance if she betrayed them.

Sam forced himself out of bed, hoping that Castiel would feel up to explaining what he knew about the Croats and demons. Sam had asked the angel to let Dean and him know when he wanted to meet with them. The other survivors didn't need to know about all this. They'd only worry.

After taking a shower, Sam walked into the kitchen to surprisingly see Dean missing from the room. If they decided to skip breakfast, he usually was sitting at the table, eating some kind of snack just because he could.

Sam didn't have to search far though; Dean was sitting on the ground near the TV in the living room. He seemed to be hooking something up.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, rubbing at his eyes.

Dean turned to face him, a huge mischievous grin over his face. His big black eyes were full of excitement. Uh oh. What had his brother gotten into now?

"Give me five minutes," Dean told him, shooing Sam away. "Go check out the top right cupboard in the kitchen. I found something for you."

Curious, Sam wandered back into the kitchen. He pulled out the only box in the cupboard Dean had referred to.

"Seriously, Dean?!"

"Do you think I could EVER pass that up?"

Sam stared down at the box package of kiddie peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The name of the brand was called  _'Lil Sammies._

"Where the hell did you find this?"

"I already went out and scoured the nearest small town with Carl and Ruby," Dean told him from the other room. "Being the sweet demonic brother that I am, I let you sleep."

Sam huffed. He didn't like Dean going out without him. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I wasn't gonna wake you up, I left a note. But when I came back and you were still asleep, I threw it away."

Sam checked out the garbage can in the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a crumpled piece of hotel paper. He unfolded it and saw Dean's message to him, in which he titled 'Sleeping Beauty' instead of 'Sam'. Of course, leave it to Dean.

Sam threw the note back in the trash, pleased that Dean hadn't lied to him and kept their agreement on always letting the other know where they were at all times. He focused back on the stupid box of sandwiches.

"You know these expired two months ago."

"So? I'm sure you won't croak from eating them. You do have super demon-gifted powers. If you can't get infected from Croatoan, I'm sure the worst thing you'll get from these  _sammies_  is a small stomach ache."

Sam took a bite of one. While it was hard and stale, it wasn't actually repulsive. Still.

"You couldn't have given me something you know I like? What about canned fruit?"

"Oh, I grabbed some of those too. For your figure, princess. They're in a different cupboard."

"Then why didn't you tell me instead of making me eat one of these nasty things!"

"Because you're my 'lil Sammy!"

Oh god. Could he get any dorkier? Thank goodness there wasn't anyone else to witness this.

"Where's Aiden?" Sam decided to quickly change the subject before Dean started ranting about embarrassing stories when they were kids, which is where this conversation probably would have gone. He took another bite of the gross sandwich.

"He's at that 'class' that Marcy is teaching. At least she's going to teach them about monsters and stuff and not just stupid book smarts."

"It's still important that kids know how to read and write."

"Yeah, but hopefully she doesn't waste her time teaching them math and crap like that. They need more survival skills."

"You should go help out," Sam snickered.

"Don't even get started. She already approached me asking me to 'guest teach' for a day or two about hunting and demons."

"Hey, that sounds right up your alley."

"I don't have the patience or attitude to teach a bunch of bratty kids."

"They'll probably think you're cool with your powers and stuff and you'd be talking about hunting, which has been what your whole life is based on. Doesn't sound too difficult."

"Whatever. Maybe. Now come in here, I'm finished."

Sam walked into the room, wondering what his brother had ended up getting into.

What he ended up finding was an Xbox 360 all plugged up to the TV, with a racing game showing up on the screen.

Sam couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. "That was in here, with games?"

"It  _is_  the presidential suite." Dean's grin matched Sam's own. "Dude, we're gonna have so much fun."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna kick your ass in this game."

"Sam, it's a racing game. Cars. Driving. You  _really_  think you can beat me?"

"Of course, you drive too safe because you're worried about your precious baby. I'm not gonna hold back."

"You haven't driven in so long, you probably don't even remember how."

"You're forgetting who hung out at the arcade every single day after school, waiting for a certain older brother to pick him up. Oh and college, Dean. We had game nights every weekend. I was the champ."

"Fuck you, you're gonna be kissing my feet when I leave you in the dust."

Sam laughed, feeling lighter than he had in months. It was nice to have this sense of safety and happiness. And getting their own suite, not having to share a space with a bunch of other people, seemed to be doing good on Dean. He was less tense, but he could still go down and interact wit people when he wanted to.

Sam just hoped this would all last. Everything almost seemed too good to be true.

Sam focused back on his brother's laughter. Best not to worry, but it was easier said than done.

"I'll tell you what. Let's make a deal." Sam smiled mischievously.

"Oh, I'm all for that."

"Of course you are, you're a demon."

Dean winked in response and Sam chuckled.

"Okay, so if your cocky ass wins, I will teach the kids about hunting," Sam smirked. But if I win, you have to teach them for a week."

"Oh, come on Sam!"

"I thought you were so confident in your driving skills."

"I am!"

"Then deal?" Sam grinned, holding his hand out to shake.

Dean gripped Sam's hand hard, scowling. "Fine. Deal."

* * *

Sam won the first race by a landslide. He laughed when Dean cursed and begged for a best of three. Being the nice brother Sam was, he agreed.

Dean's problem was that he chose the 'cool' looking cars to race in, rather than the fastest and most efficient. But in the second game, Dean started playing dirty, trying to run Sam's car off the road. Concentrating more on pissing Sam off than actually racing. And it worked, Dean won.

But by the third game, Sam knew Dean's tricks. He ignored his brother's antics and was ahead by a long shot, when suddenly, Sam's controller plug became disconnected from the gaming counsel.

 _'Controller 2 has been disconnected'_  flashed across Sam's side of the screen. He gaped and turned to Dean who was busy trying to pass up Sam's stalled car.

"You asshole!"

"What?! Hurry up and plug it back in. You tugged on the controller too hard."

"That was you, you stupid jerk!"

"No it wasn't! I'm busy trying to win."

"You used your powers to unplug it! I could sense it!" Sam decided that if Dean wanted to play dirty, then fine. He concentrated his powers and pushed Dean off the couch, flinging him to the floor.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now." Dean flicked his wrist and Sam landed face-first on the carpet. He stood up over his little brother and lifted his hand with a grin, obviously trying to control him. But Sam smirked and fought against Dean's powers, just as the older brother had taught him.

"Seriously?! Dude, this isn't fair." Dean could have given Sam a run for his money with the bitch-face he was wearing at the moment.

"You're the one that cheated in the first place!"

"Fine. We'll have a powers-free fight, how's that?" Dean offered, obviously feeling confident he could win regardless.

"Sounds good." Sam figured he'd be able to give his brother a run for his money. "Ready to get your demon-ass kicked, big brother?"

"My demon-ass is going to leave you crying in defeat." Dean flashed a wicked smile, and then charged at Sam, head-butting him in the stomach.

They wrestled for a while; mostly laughing every time they got punched in the face or kicked in the stomach. Dean was a hell of a lot stronger, being a demon. But Sam had fought enough demons to know how to get the advantage, not to mention the countless times he wrestled with Dean. He knew his brother's moves.

They were so caught up in trying to win, that they didn't notice the door opening.

"Sam! Dean!" It was Aiden's voice that cried out in shock. Neither brother paid him much attention.

"Come on little brother, you can't keep up with my demonic stamina! Just call it quits, admit I won."

"Over my dead body!"

"I can arrange that. Just a snap of my fingers."

"I'd like to see you try."

Dean chuckled, finally getting Sam in a headlock, only for his brother to knee him in the stomach.

"See Mr. Bobby! They're killing each other!"

This time, Aiden's startled voice was enough to get both brothers to pause their shenanigans and look towards to door.

A frightened Aiden stood there with Bobby, who was both rolling his eyes in annoyance and smirking with affection.

"No Aiden...they're just being brothers. Stupid, ridiculous, childish brothers." Bobby sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "How about you two quit messing around. The angel is asking for the both of you, says he has important information you'll want to hear.

* * *

Dean wasn't happy going down to talk to Castiel. Not only did he lose the bet and wasn't able to prove that he was the better fighter because Bobby interrupted, but he had to hear most likely bad news from the angel. Then Sam would get depressed all over again. He had been working hard on getting his brother out of his funk.

"I'll be able to handle it Dean. I know he will have information that I don't like. I understand that," Sam told him.

"What the hell, are you reading my mind now?"

Sam smiled. "Dude, we practically read each other's minds all the time." He stopped walking suddenly and grabbed Dean's arm, pulling him away from the elevator they were about to walk into.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "What, afraid I'm going to? cut you in half like I said to Hailey?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I thought of something. When you said I was reading your mind. I wasn't, obviously. But remember when the wendigos were attacking at the farmhouse? I screamed your name, of you to look out. But I was too far away for you to hear me, yet you somehow knew I called out to you."

Dean cocked his head to the side. He had realized something had been weird with that, but didn't really worry about it since they had more serious things to focus on at the time.

"Yeah, I heard you. But I didn't. It was weird, like I was hearing you inside my head. Thought it was me just imagining things."

"No…it was like…I was so worried for you. I wanted you to turn around and see the wendigo so badly…"

"It was like you were willing for me to hear you? Did you kind of focus all your energy on that?"

"Yeah. I wanted to protect you so bad, but I knew I was too far away…"

"It sounds like it's some side effect from drinking my blood, or another power you're developing. I mean, it would make sense for us to have some kind of telepathic connection, since it is my blood and all." Dean figured that was what it was, at least.

Sam ended up grinning. That wasn't what Dean had expected. "So this could be another way for me to protect you."

Ugh. Dean didn't need Sam protecting him; he didn't need to worry about that. Dean was the one that had to protect Sam. "I guess. And I probably can do the same. We'll have to figure out how it works."

Dean pressed the button on the elevator, ending the conversation. They could talk about this later. Dean needed to think about it more. He didn't realize Sam would develop more powers. They sounded harmless, sure, and seemed to be connected through only the both of them. But maybe they weren't.

Wasn't much he could do though. Sam still needed to drink the blood mixture in order to guarantee he stayed immune and could protect himself from demons.

They found Castiel sitting out in the lobby, on one of the plush sofas. He stood up when he saw the brothers approach.

"We should discuss in a more remote location."

Dean agreed. He could see Ellen glaring at him from where she stood, talking to Sadie.

They picked one of the small meeting rooms. Dean made sure the door was closed and locked so no one could barge in. He sat next to Sam, and across from Castiel.

"So...spill. Do you know what's going on with the Croats? Why there's souls floating around that the demons are snatching up?"

"I know exactly what the Croats are, yes."

Dean glanced at Sam, silently asking if he was ready for this.

Sam nodded.

"I can see the souls inside bodies. Demonic and human ones. Each Croat has a human soul, trapped inside."

Just as Dean expected. He glanced at Sam and saw his brother nod quickly and swallow, trying to keep it together.

"Do you know what happens to the souls once the Croats are killed?" Dean asked the question he knew Sam wanted to know, but was too afraid to ask.

"They go to Hell," Castiel answered, causing Sam to sadly stare down at the table. "Even if heaven was not closed. This is a demonic virus. As a person changes into a Croat, it is as if their soul belongs to Hell."

"Do they...do they know what's going on at all?" Sam asked in a hoarse voice.

"I cannot be sure. I believe their soul is either put to sleep by the virus, locked away, or that the pull is just too strong. It changed their bodies into something else while hiding the person inside."

"Okay. So we have all the Croats that are getting killed...their souls go to Hell. What about all the people that aren't Croats that have died?" Dean asked. "I came across a spirit. She told me the demons are collecting the spirits and claiming them since heaven won't. Why?"

Castiel gave Dean a blank stare. "I am an angel of heaven. How would I know Hell's plans?"

Amazingly, Sam actually cracked a small smile at that one. Dean rolled his eyes.

"You are the demon. I would have expected you to know more," Castiel continued.

"Yeah, because I'm on such good terms with the rest of my 'kind'." Dean even went full out and used the stupid air quotes.

"I am guessing that they simply want to get rid of all humans and turn every soul into a demon," Castiel told him. "And you are right. They would never let you know what they are up to. I came across a group of demons in Las Vegas. They really want to capture you."

"Of course they do," Dean huffed. "What else is new."

"Why do they want Dean?" Sam asked. His voice wasn't weak anymore, but full of determination. "Why can't they just leave him alone? They got what they wanted with the whole 'demon world dominance'."

"All I heard, is that it was orders from Alastair," Castiel said.

Dean leaned against the table. "Think about it Sammy. Who's the only ones standing in their way? Me and you. Who can use his powers against Alastair to get rid of him? You can. He knows you're strong and he knows I'm helping you. He wants us dead."

"I don't believe he wants you dead," Castiel explained. "I heard the distinct words 'capture' instead. There were specific instructions not to kill."

Well then. This had Dean confused. Why would they want to capture him? To torture him? Because that worked  _so well_  last time. But torture him for what?

"Dean!" Sam spoke suddenly, jumping up from his chair and pacing across the small room. "Do you know what this means? What he's trying to do?"

"I'm not following." Dean watched his brother's restless pacing and reached out with his powers, trying to get Sam to stop. Of course Sam fought back, pushing Dean away.

"Quit that!" Sam ordered, stopping to face Dean. "He's trying to break you Dean! He's mad, his ego is hurt. I could see it when we captured him that first time. He's mad that he failed in creating you into a perfect demon."

Dean nodded. Sam had a point. "He did always think I was going to be the biggest and strongest demon of them all. The most evil. I don't know, I guess because I had been a hunter before and he was taking extra care to carve me into what he wanted."

"But you fought back," Sam said. "You used his tactics against him."

"No. He just used the wrong measures to try and break me." This was the most Dean had ever talked about his torture in Hell. And he was sure Sam was taking notice of that. Great. "He was just using extreme measures of his typical torture, that shit doesn't work on me. And I..." Dean trailed off.

"And you what?" Sam asked, finally sitting back down.

"Well, I had you. Dumbass. I knew I was going to come back to you."

Sam nodded, a little bit of tears in his eyes. But he didn't say anything sappy sentimental shit. Thank goodness.

"And I saw the look he had in his eyes when you lost yourself a little to the torture Dean." Sam sighed. "He looked like a five year old on Christmas. He wants you on his side."

"Of course he does. He got tasked with such a big mission in turning me evil, into some loyal follower, and it failed. He's probably got demons really pissed at him. They probably don't believe in him like they should."

Sam gasped. "Maybe that's why we haven't been attacked as much. Why the demons aren't more organized and there's still groups of survivors. Some are probably rebelling against Alastair."

"Sounds like it." Dean sighed. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. He didn't like talking about his time in Hell with Sam. The whole reason he felt so different when he was with his brother, was because it completely took his mind off of Hell. Showed him that what happened there didn't matter, that it was all worth it.

He turned back to the angel, who had been silently watching them interact. Apparently, he agreed, or he would have spoken up.

"So, tell me," Dean smirked. "How was Vegas? Haven't been there in years."

Castiel stared at him. "It is infested with Croats and used as a demonic base."

"Of course it is." Dean growled. If there had been one thing left of the old world, Dean hoped it would have been Vegas.

"Where have you been this past year? Have you been able to see a lot of what the rest of the country is like?" Sam asked him.

"I have been around the west. I sometimes met up with groups of survivors. Every large city I passed was used as a base. The people I travelled with told me the same. With the amount of demonic activity I sensed in the city, I am guessing Sioux Falls is being taken over as a base as well," the angel explained. "The demons have everything running there, electricity and ammenities. It is like nothing ever happened."

"Except for demons and Croats running the streets instead of people." Dean pictured it in his head, and had to fight back a laugh at that image.

"So the demons are taking over what was once ours," Sam had a more depressing outlook on things. "They're turning it into their world."

Castiel nodded. "That is my best theory. But since they seem to enjoy the larger cities, and you are somewhat close to Sioux Falls...I believe this sanctuary may not be as safe as you hope."


	14. Chapter 14

Yes, there's been a huge delay since I've posted. I actually took a much needed break from writing. But I'm back again. This chapter is extra long to make up for the wait.

* * *

A few weeks later, Dean was very busy relaxing in the pond outside the hotel. He had found a pool float in one of the department stores he raided the week before, and was now trying to doze off in the sun.

Sam was making fun of him because of all the freckles that were appearing on his face and chest. He spent most of his time outside anyway, looking for supplies and killing Croats, so his face was pretty tanned. But he figured it was about time the rest of his skin matched so he wasn't multi-colored. This was one thing that being a demon couldn't speed up. He had to tan, and unfortunately burn, the hard way.

One of the kids screamed with joy from the pool about a hundred feet away. Dean groaned. He had been just about to doze off. This was why he preferred the pond to the pool. The kids all wanted to play in the 'clean' water that was temperature controlled. The fence that had been built around the outside also enclosed the pond but he was far enough away where the kids didn't decide to come over and bother him. He basically had this whole pond to himself.

Dean closed his eyes again, but only for a few moments. Suddenly, water began pouring onto him, and it fricken' stung, burning his skin. He yelled and fell backwards off his float, into the water. He went under briefly and broke the surface, looking around wildly.

He heard laughter and saw that the fountain in the middle of the pond had been turned on, water pouring from it...holy water. Some of it still splashed onto his face, but he was prepared this time and braced himself. He had a pretty good tolerance built up for the stuff. It burned, but it no longer felt like knives piercing into his skin.

Dean spun around in the water as quickly as he could, looking toward the source of the laughter that he knew all too well.

"The hell Sammy?!"

Sam was on the grass, clutching at his stomach, he was laughing so hard.

"That scream you made was hardly human!" Sam wheezed, his smile bright.

"I'm not human, dumbass."

"You sounded like a dying cat!"

Dean rolled his eyes and waded back to his float. "Stuff could've permanently injured me!"

"Sure it would. Forgot you were a wuss demon." Sam slowly stood back up. "Anyway, it was only the first gallon that was holy water. The rest is normal, so you can relax."

"You did that by yourself?"

"Bobby helped. Was his idea anyway in order to test holy water in the plumbing. It was my idea to do it when you were floating in bliss. Had to get you back for cheating constantly while playing video games."

"I don't cheat. I make up my own rules."

Sam shook his head, starting to walk away. Dean had other ideas. He reached out with his powers, knowing Sam wouldn't be prepared to fight back, and pulled.

Sam went flying into the water before he could put up any defenses.

"DEAN!" Sam whined, his wet mane appearing above the surface.

"Be happy it doesn't  _burn you_."

"You jerk!"

"Whiny little bitch."

Sam grabbed onto Dean's float, trying to tip him over. Dean had enough of this and simply teleported to shore, leaving his little brother pouting in the middle of the pond.

"You cheated again."

"You're just jealous I have more advantages over you." Dean smirked. A gust of wind picked up and a few squawking birds flew by quickly, as if in panic.

Both brothers turned to look up toward the sky. To the west, there were quickly approaching dark clouds, very dark.

"Looks like a bad thunderstorm is coming." Sam pointed out the obvious. He used the float to stay above water and kick toward the shore.

"Clouds look really dark. Haven't seen it look that bad in a while. This is where I really miss those annoying cheesy weather forecasters."

Sam was climbing out of the water. "Yeah, they were wrong half the time but at least they would know how bad a storm would be."

Dean grabbed his towel and walked on the path toward the pool, with his fully clothed-soaking wet brother following him. The kids were oblivious to the approaching storm, and so was Marcy, who was throwing pool toys to them and laughing.

"Hey, little brats," Dean called out, raising his voice just enough to get their attention. The kids shut up for a moment, looked his way, and then immediately started talking.

"Dean, come in!"

"Play with us!"

"You can be on my team!"

Dean rolled his eyes and pointed at the sky, in the direction of the dark clouds. "I would be wanting to get inside if I were you."

The kids followed his line of vision and were silent for a moment, just staring up at the approaching storm. Then, it was as if something snapped and they began to scream, scurrying to get out of the pool.

"It's a tornado!" One kid screamed, and the rest started to panic even more, a few began crying.

"It's not a damn tornado!" Dean growled, watching as Marcy tried to catch the kids who were running out of the pool.

"Way to go, Dean." Sam sighed. "Perfect way to handle that."

"What? I'm a demon. My social skills are shot."

"I can see that."

"Help! Help! I can't swim!" One of the kids who were still in the pool began to cry. It was Aiden, of course it was. He was in the rubber floatie wings and splashing aimlessly in panic in the middle of the pool. A few other kids were doing the same, too worked up to concentrate on pushing themselves to the ladder.

Dean audibly sighed. Stupid fricking kids. He hopped in the pool before Sam could say anything and wadded over to where Aiden was freaking out. He put a hand on the kid's back and tried to push him to the edge of the pool. Instead, Aiden looked up, saw who it was, and ended up clinging to Dean's neck. He had to pry the kid off of him and place him on the edge of the pool in order to get the other brats.

Sam was smirking at him the entire time he was trying to pull the screaming kids out of the pool. Marcy could do nothing as they all ran in through the back entrance of the hotel, soaking wet.

"But I still wanted to go in the pool!" Aiden wasn't following the rest of the kids, but instead trailing behind Dean as he dried off once again.

"Do you want to get struck by lightening?" Dean growled.

"You can still go in the indoor pool, remember?" Sam smiled. Thank goodness for his brother or Dean would go crazy. "Now go inside with the rest of the kids while Dean and I help Marcy clean up."

"Seriously, why should we have to help?" Dean whined.

"Because it's nice to."

"I'm a demon, we aren't nice."

"You sure were being nice when you were helping those kids out of the pool." Sam pointed out with a smile.

"You better shut up right now before I throw you back into the water."

"Oh dear," Marcy sighed with a smile. "That storm will get here long before you two stop bickering."

"You got that right." Dean chuckled, but he did stop. If he and Sam kept going, they would probably end up knocking each other in the pool.

"Let me guess," he said while he and Sam locked up all the pool equipment in the outdoor shed. "Ellen was watching me from the hotel, to make sure I don't choke the kids or something."

She had been watching him nearly non-stop these past two weeks. They rarely got to see Jo, since Ellen was forbidding her to go near him on her own. Dean didn't understand. If he wanted to hurt Jo, he could easily do so, no matter if Ellen was with her or not.

"Actually, no," Sam told him. "She finally went out. She went with Carl to look for more supplies to make the fence stronger. I heard Jo and her arguing. It sounded like Jo got her own room and told Ellen to let her make her own choices."

"You boys might want to hurry," Marcy pointed up at where the blue sky was quickly being taken over by the nearly black clouds.

"Hey, I could go into smoke-form and blend in for once."

Sam made a face. "Don't give me that. You're fitting in really well here. Everyone accepts you, even if some people are still wary, like Ellen."

Dean blushed and grimaced, trying to ignore Sam's words. If there was one thing he hated about his little brother, it was what a sap he always was.

"Shut up or I'll lock you outside in the storm." They finally made it inside and Sadie walked over, looking out at the clouds.

"Well that's not good." She sighed. "At least we're safe in here. I hope it doesn't turn into a tornado."

"The hotel has a basement, right?" Sam asked. "Somewhere we could hide incase."

Sadie nodded. "Yeah, it does. I checked it out and there's enough room for all of us. Let's just keep an eye on the clouds and if they turn green or we see any funnels forming, we'll know to get down there."

"You sure are on top of things for a teenage girl," Dean grumbled. "I thought you were just putting on an act at first, but you're not kidding."

Sadie turned to face him, her mouth opened in shock. "You've been thinking I'm a teenager? Oh my god..."

"You're not?" Sam asked.

"You too? Seriously? I'm twenty-two!"

"Twenty two? Well then..." Dean eyed Sadie up and down with a wink.

"Oh no," the girl rapidly shook her head. "Never gonna happen. Don't even think about it."

"Really? I'm great in bed. Ask Lexi what she has to say about me and I'm sure you'll reconsider."

"Don't worry, Lexi's already told me more than I ever cared to know about you. And I'm still not interested."

Dean smirked. "Don't know what you're missing out on." He nudged Sam in the ribs. "Don't worry Sammy, I'm okay with you taking the ones that rejected me."

"DEAN!" Sam was blushing bright red. Heh, he knew the strong, loud mouth girl was his type.

"I'm going to step away now before you have the chance to embarrass him any further." She smiled and walked away, but didn't exactly show any intention that she would turn down Sam if he pursued her. Good, this was going to be Dean's mission, hooking the two of them up.

"Way to be an ass. I'm glad you have to teach the kids today. Serves you right." Sam hissed at him.

"It's today? What?"

"Yep," Sam was smirking now. "Come on, we should help Marcy set up for it."

* * *

Dean peeked his head into the meeting room to see that it had been set up like a classroom. There were small tables set up in two rows, behind each sat two kids. One of the young girls spotted him and waved, Dean made a face and immediately backed away, closing the door.

"Uh uh, I'm not doing this."

"Come on, the kids love you." Sam smirked, attempting to push Dean back towards the door.

"Well I don't love them."

"The kids don't judge you and treat you normally. I thought you liked that."

"But they're annoying as hell."

"If you're a good teacher, they won't be annoying and they'll listen to you. Since when is a big tough demon afraid of a bunch of kids?"

"I'm not afraid of them!" Dean pulled away from his brother and gave him a death-glare. The damn kid knew him too well and knew exactly what to say to make Dean give in.

"Then hurry up and go in. Marcy wants to start class as quickly as possible before the storm starts. After it does, they will probably be too distracted by the thunder to listen to either of you."

"This is so stupid…having classes after the Croat apocalypse…like nothing ever happened…," Dean grumbled

"It's one of the smartest ideas I've heard, actually," Sam told him. "It's preparing the kids for what's out there. Informing them so they have the best chance at survival in this new world."

"Yeah, whatever. You're coming in too," Dean demanded.

"As much as I'd like to amuse myself by watching you attempt to teach those kids, I have stuff I want to do. Catch up on my reading, go work out in the gym, swim a few laps…maybe get a nap in while I have some peace and quiet away from you…"

Dean decided that he heard enough from his stupid little brother and swung open the door to the 'classroom'. He stepped inside and slammed it shut behind him.

"Dean!"

"Dean you're here!"

"Are you gonna teach us about demons?"

"Can you teach us to shoot guns?"

"Are you gonna take us out to kill Croats?"

Dean glanced around wildly, the kids' excited yells nearly too overwhelming. He could handle a room full of crazy Croats or violent monsters easily, because well…he could just let go completely and take them all out. It was what he was best at. But this? A bunch of hyper kids, about 15 of them? How the hell was he supposed to behave here? Even as a human, he'd probably be very uncomfortable with this, and now as a demon?

If these kids didn't shut up soon, he was going to need to leave this room and smash something to keep himself from going crazy and not take his anger out on them.

"Kids! That's enough!" Marcy bellowed and Dean breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing the lady could be stern when the time called for it. "Dean is a guest in the classroom, so you all have to be kind and respect him. He's going to teach you and you raise your hand if you've got a question for him, alright?"

The kids nodded and immediately at least 5 hands shot up.

Dean shook his head. "No. You only get to ask questions when I say you can ask questions, got it?"

The kids looked upset and disappointed, but didn't complain. Dean glared over at Marcy.

"What the hell am I supposed to say to them? How do I do this?"

Marcy pointed at a table that Dean hadn't cared to notice before. It had a bunch of weapons on it that were typically used against demons. There was also a pair of leather gloves, most likely so he could grab the stuff without getting poisoned. Heh.

"Let me guess, Sammy brought all that down?"

"Sure did," Marcy chirped. She grabbed the gloves and tossed them at Dean.

"Why is Dean wearing gloves in summer?" one of the kids shouted.

"What did I tell you about not asking questions until I say so?" Dean growled at the kid, who didn't seem to be fazed by his attitude.

"Dean is going to show you what things you can use against a demon," Marcy told them, ignoring Dean's grumbling. "But since he's a demon himself, he can't touch it without getting hurt, which is why he's wearing gloves to protect his hands."

There was a collective "ohhhh" from the group of kids and Dean rolled his eyes. Luckily for him, no one could really tell he was rolling his eyes with them being all black, no one but Sam, who was used to the motion.

"What Dean's going to show you is in case of an emergency," Marcy continued. "You want to stay far away from all demons as much as possible. The only demons that aren't bad are Dean and Ruby. And you should only approach Dean on your own."

Dean rolled his eyes again. Great, now the kids were probably going to constantly run up to him and bug him even more than usual.

"Now Dean, why don't you first tell the kids about salt."

Dean sighed. This was stupid. He lifted his right hand and the salt came floating towards him. Of course, the kids began giggling and gasping in awe from his powers. One boy even pretended to imitate Dean as if he could will himself enough to get demon powers.

"These powers aren't funny kid," Dean pointed at the boy. "Let's see if you're smiling when a demon decides to use them to rip your lungs out, or set you on fire or…"

"Okay." Marcy clapped her hands once, giving Dean a nervous glance. "How about you tell the kids how they can use the salt to prevent a demon from doing all those nasty things?"

Dean shrugged. "Throw it at them."

"What does it do?" one of the kids asked.

"What did I say about asking questions without me saying it's okay?"

The kid's face fell, and maybe Dean felt a little bad. Maybe. He wasn't sure.

"It stings." He answered the kid anyway and took a handful of salt. Why not show them what it did? So what if he burned himself a little. Wasn't a big deal.

He pressed the salt to his forearm and only flinched a little as the salt sizzled on his skin.

Some other kid raised their hand and Dean sighed. May as well have them ask questions now instead of having a ton at the end. "What?"

"But if we throw the salt at the demons. What if we aren't good at throwing? I don't think salt throws very good."

Well. Kid had a point. Why had Dean told them to throw the salt? That was stupid. Kids would get themselves killed by trying to do that.

"Nah, don't throw it. It's used in guns as rock salt." Dean picked up the sawed-off that was sitting on the table. "We load it in here instead of bullets."

The kids 'oohed' and 'ahhed' excitedly.

"Can you teach us to use guns?" a girl asked.

"Not now. Maybe later. Now watch this." Dean picked the bag of salt back up and created a circle of it around himself. "You can use salt to trap demons. I can't get out. But it's not like a demon is gonna stand here and let you put salt around them. So you want to put this at the bottom of your doors and windows and other entry points so they can't get in."

Dean looked out at the group of kids and saw that a few of them were even taking notes, probably the ones who had been straight A students, like Sammy. He noticed Aiden watching with wide eyes.

"Aiden, get over here and break the salt for me."

Aiden did as he was told and hurried to the front. Once the salt circle was broken, Dean stepped out and grabbed Aiden's shoulder as he began to walk away.

"Don't sit down yet. Stay up here, you're gonna help me."

Some kids began complaining that 'it wasn't fair' but a cold glare from Dean shut them up.

"If you don't shut your traps right now, I'll kick you out and you won't be able to see any of this cool stuff, got it, brats?"

That got them to shut up, so Dean returned to what he had planned. He told Aiden to stand still and created a circle of salt around him.

"Now this is the better idea on what to do to protect yourself. If you are somewhere where there are too many windows and doors to salt, you wanna make a salt circle around yourself. The demon can't reach you."

Dean attempted to reach out to Aiden, only to be stopped by the invisible force field that was created by the salt. "See? I can't get him."

The kids looked so amazed and intrigued that Dean found it hard to stop the lesson with the salt. If this was all they knew, they wouldn't be able to protect themselves very well or for very long.

"Now, stronger demons can blow this salt away, and any demon can open a window that's nearby and the wind could scatter it." Unfortunately, there weren't any windows nearby that he could demonstrate with, and Dean hadn't learned how to manipulate wind yet. Instead, he told Aiden to break the salt.

"Now what work's even better, but it will take more time to make, are devil's traps."

* * *

Dean didn't get too far into his explanation of devil's traps before the first loud clap of thunder shook the building. The kids instantly stopped asking questions about how to make each unique symbol in the trap and what they meant and instead began panicking about the approaching storm.

Damn it, he was really starting to get into a grove there.

Marcy dismissed the class and Dean followed the jittery kids out into the main lobby.

What he saw out the windows even made his skin crawl a little bit. The clouds looked almost black, flashes of lightening coming closer. Reminded him of Hell, of demon smoke clouds that could easily be hiding in the storm and blending in.

Heh, did his own soul-smoke cloud look like that? It couldn't, or else Sam and Bobby would have been more scared of it.

The creepiness of the site sent a sense of worry down his spine. The storm was going to be dangerous and while they were most likely safe in the building, he couldn't help but be paranoid. He needed to make sure Sam was safe…

Dean looked around the lobby. Mostly everyone was gathered there, standing around the window, or sitting on the couches, all of them fixated on the approaching storm. But he couldn't find Sam. He looked around more wildly. Sam wouldn't have been as ignorant to go outside, could he? Knowing his brother, he probably went out there to go check if there were any kids left outside and got swept away in the wind.

"Relax," a voice chuckled from behind him. Dean spun around to face Jo. She looked a little nervous to be talking to him, but was still smiling. And she didn't appear think he would randomly attack her, like her mother thought.

"You better think twice before telling a demon what to do," Dean said sarcastically, looking over her to see if his brother was coming.

Jo ignored his fake threat. Everyone seemed to lately. For once, Dean actually wanted someone to be scared, so he could laugh in their face.

"He's fine." She smirked. "You can stop getting all worked up. He was in the gym; I was just talking to him. He's coming out, no need to freak."

Dean crossed his arms. Was he really that easy to read? Weren't demons supposed to be mysterious and emotionless? Whatever. He knew when it came to his brother; it made him a completely different demon than any other.

"What are you talking about? I was looking for Marcy to see if she could make me some pie."

"Yeah, Marcy who is standing five feet to your left?" She glanced over at Marcy, who smiled fondly. "You need to get those black eyes checked."

"Actually I should," Dean said arrogantly. "I was recently blinded and still can't change me eyes back to human without getting a migraine."

Jo looked sympathetic for a moment, but seemed to think otherwise in saying so, knowing it wouldn't be appreciated by Dean. "Well, it's too bad there aren't doctors around anymore. They could help you with that."

Dean smirked. He liked the attitude she had. She seemed to have grown up since he last saw her. "Yeah, world's pretty lonely. Gets a little boring with only Sam as company. How about you help keep me company sometime?"

Jo gaped for a moment, it was like she didn't know weather to be flattered or disgusted. She blinked, recomposing herself and cleared her throat. "You don't fool me Dean, the only person you'll ever need in your life is your brother. Long as you've got his friendship, nothing else matters. Speaking of which, I see him coming now."

Jo stepped aside gratefully, but her initial horror over the flirting had died down. She was watching him curiously and Dean realized she never actually turned him down. Maybe he could win her over.

Sam bounded over, dressed in loose shorts and a t-shirt that was covered in sweat. Of course the stupid freak had been working out. Dean should have known better.

"Hey! How was the class? Kids didn't scare you away?"

"If you don't stop being a smartass, I'm going to scare you away."

"Dean was wonderful!" Marcy answered as Dean went to speak. "The kids loved him. He's an excellent teacher."

Sam was grinning like a freak at that. "Glad it went well and you didn't make the kids cry due to your bad attitude."

Dean rolled his eyes, but before he could make some sort of smart-ass retort, a flash of lightening brightened up the room. The kids squealed and gasped with excitement, and a few moments later, deafening thunder rocked the building.

Dean smirked when he noticed how Sam instinctively took a step closer to him without realizing. No matter how much Sam tried to say he was independent, he'd always need his big brother. Or at least Dean hoped.

* * *

Sam went to approach some of the kids that began to cry, but Marcy walked over to them, telling Sam she had it under control. The sky was lighting up with even more flashes and something in Sam told him that this wouldn't be a storm that quickly passed over. He wondered if there were tornados touching down. It looked like it would be good conditions for them to form.

The rain finally started, immediately pouring down with another bout of thunder and lightning. It was amazing how quiet everyone was watching the storm, except for a kid or two. The silence made him shiver and Sam realized how he had wandered over closer to one of the large windows in the lobby.

His uneasiness grew and Sam felt the need to be by his brother's side. It was just something in humans that made them want to be near the ones they loved during a dangerous storm even if they were safe inside.

Sam turned around only to walk right into Dean, his chin butting his brother's forehead. Apparently, Dean had been hovering right behind him as he had walked. Maybe demons had that same instinct to stick close to loved ones. Or at least Dean did.

Who was he kidding? Dean always followed him everywhere, being the paranoid little demon he was. Plus, Dean wasn't comfortable being left alone with groups of people. He tended to stick right by Sam everywhere they went.

Instead of pointing this out to Dean and getting him embarrassed, Sam just smiled.

"Thanks, now I'm gonna have a bruise on my chin."

"Your fault for being a clumsy-ass sasquatch."

Sam saw how Marcy was moving the young kids away from the window and towards one of the meeting rooms. Aiden probably wouldn't come back to the room tonight but rather, Marcy would be having a "sleepover" for them in order to distract them from the storm.

This would be a perfect opportunity to spend time with his brother. They wouldn't have to go out and look for supplies tonight because of the storm. They could relax the rest of the night and maybe have a movie marathon or something.

"Hey, Sam!" One of the guys from the hotel group came up to him. Sam noticed how Dean was glaring at the man, as if he would attempt to harm Sam in front of his demon brother. Yeah, right.

The man gave Dean a nervous glance, then realized he was staring and forced his eyes away. "Do you want to join us in the restaurant? We're gonna break out the booze and have a party!"

Dean tensed next to him. Sam knew that Dean hated crowds of people, feeling that he couldn't relate to them. Especially drunk people. He'd be miserable at this so called "party". While he had enjoyed getting Sam drunk, he had hated all the people at the bar when he took Sam last year. Had it really been only one year since the world as they knew it had ended?

Sam shook his head. Dean hadn't even been invited by this man. And while yeah, Dean was a demon, the guy still should have had proper manners to invite him or at least acknowledge his presence other than trying to avoid him.

"No. I'm going to spend some time with my  _brother._ " He put emphasis on the last word, making the guy blush at his mistake.

"Oh, sorry. He can come along too, of course," he said much too quickly.

Sam just walked away, Dean following him like he always did.

"Dude, you can go get drunk. Have fun. I want you to."

"I wouldn't have fun knowing you'd be there miserable. Let's go back up to the room. We have some booze there. I can get drunk and we can watch movies. It will be much more fun."

"Yeah. Sure. Spending time watching lame ass movies and getting drunk with your sober demon brother is much more fun than dancing and flirting with girls."

"Hey, flirting with girls may be more fun than hanging out with your brother for you. But it isn't for me." Sam smiled, knowing he had won at Dean's scowl. "Come on, I know what will make you happy. Let's go to the little Starbucks room in here and see if we can figure out how to make our own coffee."

* * *

Sam discovered that the two of them had no idea how to make a latte. Dean only liked straight-up black coffee, which was simple enough to brew with the beans that had been stashed here. But they had no idea how to steam the cans of evaporated milk that had been collected and stored in the room.

"How the hell do you use this stuff? Is it even real milk?" Dean shook one of the cans. "Why can't we just take the milk from the kitchen that they get from the cows out back?" They had already wasted a can when the milk had splattered all over the machine and their faces when they had attempted to use the steamer.

"It is milk. They just evaporate the water out of it, so I think it's sweeter. You should be able to steam it like regular milk."

"It would help if we  _knew_  how to steam any kind of milk at all," Dean grumbled. He hit the top of the can with his fist, breaking it open and pulled the lid off like it was Velcro. No need for can openers when you had demonic strength, Sam assumed.

"Steam it with your powers." Sam chuckled.

"Oh yeah, I can do anything with my powers. I can even make a complete latte appear out of thin air with a thought." Dean rolled his eyes and thrust the opened can at Sam. "You figure it out. I'm drinking my  _normal_  coffee."

Sam scowled as he watched his brother jump onto the counter, sitting on it with his legs swinging. He may as well give up. He hadn't really had coffee since the Starbucks' started closing down, as well as the rest of society. He had tried to drink Dean's disgusting black, coffee, but just couldn't get over the bitterness of it. Sam allowed himself a moment of childish pity that he probably would never drink coffee again…

"Oh god, do I even want to know what you guys are doing?" Sam looked over the espresso machine to see that Jo had walked into the room. She smiled at Sam and then looked over at Dean, who winked at her. She rolled her eyes in return.

"Sam can't make a latte for crap."

"And neither can you, asshole!"

"You're the geek, you should know."

"How about you two shut up and I'll show you how it's done before you make more of a mess and break the machine."

Jo pushed Sam out of the way and poured the can of milk into the cup that was used to steam. He sighed and stepped away as she did her work. She made it look so easy. Dean was giving her an impressed smirk.

"Please don't tell me you've been flirting with her too."

"Oh, he definitely has," Jo told them, she was messing around with what Sam assumed was the espresso machine. "Not interested at the moment."

"You are aware he's had…uh…multiple relations with women here."

"I love when you talk about me like I'm not in the room Sammy." Dean elbowed him in the side.

"I'm trying to warn her about your…you know. Because if I included you in the conversation it would just take a disgusting and obnoxious turn."

Jo snickered, pouring the milk and espresso into one of the paper cups. "I figured that much about him. But hasn't he always been like that? It's nothing that scares me. It's not like we hunters were ever going to get into relationships anyway. Flings and hookups are the thing with us."

"You could still find someone here," Sam offered. "There's a good amount of guys, and we'll find more survivors too. You could have a family..."

"Sam," Jo gave him a kind smile. "I appreciate that. But I'm not interested in any of that. I just want to try and have fun and help out the best I can in this world. Maybe one day I'll want that, but not now. The world's pretty screwed up at the moment, the stuff my mom and I have seen...the cities are full of crime, murderers and scavengers and demons using people as slaves. I'd rather help fix the world first. "

She paused for a moment, considering Sam. "If you want that though, Sam, go right ahead and get a girl and extend your family. Do whatever makes you the happiest."

" Like you mentioned, the world kind of needs to settle first. I'd given up on the idea of building a family. But it could be possible in time. We'll see. " Sam admitted.

"Yeah, now you can have everything you've ever wanted Sam." Dean's voice was oddly detached and difficult to read. Sam turned to him, confused. Dean wasn't looking at him, but rather glaring down at his cup of coffee. He hated that Dean kept misinterpreting his words, but he also felt a pang of sadness for his brother that thought so lowly of himself, that he doubted his part in Sam's life.

"Dean...I'm not even considering that right now. It would be nice but there's more pressing thing I'm worried about. Things that I want...that I need so much more."

"What, a haircut?" Dean was trying to brush the whole thing off, but Sam caught the coldness in his voice, the hidden fear.

"My brother to not leave me," Sam said strictly. "And to figure out how the hell we're going to be able to stay together because I can't..." His throat closed up and Sam shook his head. He didn't even want to think of himself dying and then Dean, not being able to take being left on earth alone, stabbing himself with the demon blade and ceasing to exist. Like he never was here in the first place.

Dean finally looked over at Sam. There was still that doubt in his expression. Doubt that Sam didn't know he'd ever be able to get rid of, but so desperately wanted to. He wanted to keep trying to convince Dean, but he knew it would either fall of deaf ears, or Dean would cut the conversation short.

"We'll find a way." Dean said, looking back down at his coffee cup. "Once things get settled and we figure out what the hell is going on with the monsters and demons, we'll focus on that."

"Latte's ready Sam." Jo spoke up, thankfully changing the conversation. "Add whatever syrup flavors you want."

Sam thanked her and took a sip of the latte. It tasted like heaven, he let the flavors linger on his tongue before swallowing. He expected Dean to have some kind of sarcastic remark about his "girly drink" but none came. When Sam looked over at his brother, he was once more glaring down into his coffee cup, his entire body tense.

"Hey," Sam said, walking up to him and bumping his shoulder gently. "You okay?"

Dean blinked, loosened his death grip on his mug and seemed to snap out of whatever mood he was in. But Sam knew better, demon or not, this was Dean's way of putting on his mask, pushing down whatever he had been feeling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Relax," Dean said, voice gruff.

"If you need to talk to me about anything, or something is bothering you...Dean you can tell me."

"I'm  _fine_  Sam. Just shut up because you're aggravating me even more than you usually do."

Sam sighed but squeezed his brother's shoulder anyway. Dean scowled at him in response but Sam sat right next to him.

"Anyway, you guys..." Jo had made some kind of latte for herself and sat on another counter across from the brothers. "I wanted to ask you...my mom went into town with Carl...they're not back yet...and the storm..."

Sam could see how Jo wanted to hide her worry and look strong. But she needed some kind of release. And who better to talk to than two fellow hunters?

"She's not back because there's a massive storm and doesn't want to die," Dean said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Jo glared at him. "I know that asshole. I'm just worried about her in this storm. I don't know how long after the storm ends to wait until I should get worried."

Sam nudged Dean hard in the side for being a jerk. "I'm sure they're both fine," he told Jo with a smile. "They are probably hiding out somewhere to stay safe."

"Yeah, I figured they were. I'm just worried."

"If they aren't back by midday tomorrow, Dean and I will go out to look for them."

Dean turned to face him, looking pissed off. "Uh uh. Don't I get a say in this? We're not going to be everyone's saviors when they get themselves into shit."

"Dean, it's Ellen."

"Yeah and I don't care."

"I know she's been distant toward you but…"

"Don't you get it? I'm a demon. I don't care if she lives or dies."

"Okay, yeah. I do get it. But maybe you don't have to say it in front of her daughter."

Dean just rolled his eyes.

Sam sighed. Yes, he understood that Dean actually didn't care, but he normally would have had enough common sense to not be jerky enough to say it in front of Jo.

"Guys, it's fine. She's my mom. I'll find her if I have to."

"No. Dean and I have the best shot. We're the ones that will go."

"No we're not."

"Okay, then I'll go myself."

Sam knew that would do the trick. Dean sighed, seeming more irritated than usual.

"Fine, but we're not searching the whole city to find her. If we can't in a day, then it's her loss." Dean shrugged carelessly.

Sam wondered how this day could have gone from so lighthearted, to this.

Maybe they wouldn't have to go out and find Ellen at all. Maybe she'd come back on her own. For her sake and for Dean's, Sam sure hoped so.

* * *

Of course Ellen and Carl didn't come back. The sky was now blue as could be, the weather a bit muggy, debris from the storm lined the roads, but Sam deemed it safe to travel. They left mid-afternoon, hoping to do most of their searching at night, when hopefully the scavengers would be sleeping and the demons wouldn't be roaming the streets.

Sam was stuck in the Impala with a grumpy Dean, although he seemed to be feeling a little better from yesterday. Dean had given him a haircut and Sam had asked if Dean wanted one too. He agreed, cursing that his hair was way too long. When Sam asked why Dean just didn't ask him to cut it before, he said it was because Sam had never brought it up.

Stupid Dean didn't want to burden him. Dean would only have Sam cut his hair if Sam offered first. He should have figured. Even as a demon, Dean didn't want to bother Sam or have him do something he didn't want him to do.

Which was what Sam was doing to Dean right now. Making him look for Ellen and Carl. He felt bad, but Sam couldn't bear to know that they were out there, maybe in trouble, and not do anything. He was right when he said he and Dean were their best shot.

They drove along, wanting to leave the Impala on the edge of town. If there were more demons using the city as a base, they would easily recognize or hear the car. It was better to go on foot.

After finding an empty house and putting the Impala in the garage, they started walking deeper into the city. Dean seemed calmer, but he still wasn't saying much more than was necessary.

"At least your hair finally looks normal," Sam said, trying to break the awkward silence. He hated it. He was so used to being able to say anything to his brother, to feel comfortable with him even in silence. He just wanted Dean to feel better. For him to know Sam thought as highly of him as Dean did of him.

At first, Dean kept walking, then he finally mumbled, "It must be a shocker to see normal hair. You should try it sometime."

It was something. Sam smiled, catching up so he was walking right at Dean's side.

"At least you look like yourself again. Except for the scruff you insist on keeping."

"Well with the scruff and hair regular hair, I actually do look badass."

"Yeah, I guess I'll give you that."

Dean smirked and the mood lightened. Maybe this wasn't as big of a deal as Sam had assumed. Maybe it was just one of Dean's grumpy mood swings.

They walked for a while, keeping in the shadows, on alert for the slightest noise...Sam remembered what Jo had said. How demons were keeping human slaves, how the worst of humanity seemed to reside in the cities...

A sudden crash echoed through the empty street, and Dean immediately grabbed Sam by the shirt and pulled in down the nearest alley, away from the noise.

A sarcastic, obnoxious hollering laugh was heard, similar to that of drunk college students having a good time.

"Who the hell would make so much noise!? Everyone knows it attracts the Croats!" Sam whispered, trying to walk over to peer back down the street, but Dean had a firm hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"Demons, that's who," Dean growled. "They're too far away for us to sense them yet."

"So they are taking over the cities, acting like they own them," Sam stated.

"I think there's a lot more going on to this than we realize," Dean said. "I'm betting they are turning the monsters nuts somehow. Maybe against their will. We could try capturing one of the demons and interrogating them, but it's too dangerous."

"But we can capture one of the monsters." Sam was following Dean's train of thought. "If their behavior is being forced upon them, we can try and get them to tell us who did this to them. So we can help them."

"I'm not concerned about helping them. They're damn monsters Sam."

"That doesn't mean they're guilty, or they wanted to be bad."

"No, but I'm not going to worry about helping them get back to normal and solving their problems. I'm already helping out the people at the hotel and I don't even want to. But at least there's something in there for me. I get a place to stay and you get to be safe. I just want to know what the hell is going on with the monsters, so we can protect ourselves."

Okay, Sam could deal with that. At least Dean was okay with living with the other survivors and helping out, even if his reasons for it were selfish. He was a demon, what could Sam expect?

"Let's head down the alley, get away from them. Come on." Dean tugged on Sam's sleeve, and the younger brother followed.

They ran for a while, trying to avoid the garbage on the street and Sam even saw the rotted body of what had been a pet cat. He stopped to gawk at it, feeling nauseous, when Dean grabbed him and pulled him away.

"The things we see, and you're gonna puke over the dead hairball?"

"It's just sad, is all." Sam looked away and noticed a few signs pinned to the building around them.

**KEEP OUT**

**DO NOT ENTER**

"Dean..." Sam pointed towards the signs.

Dean glanced at them, pausing for a moment as he took in the information.

"Must have been a Croat-infected zone at one point. Looks deserted now, let's keep going."

Only a little while further, they hit a tall fence that separated the alley. There were even more signs posted over it.

"What should we do?" Sam asked. "Do you think it's safe?"

"I don't see anyone else around here. And we don't have much of a choice. We have to follow the alley until we get back out on a road that looks safe."

Sam nodded, he went to reach for the fence to climb over it, but Dean slapped his hand away.

"Why waste time and energy doing that when you can do..." Dean grabbed Sam's forearm, and in a split second, they were on the other side of the fence. "this."

Sam smiled. "You do come in handy sometimes, demon."

"Yeah, unlike you."

Sam had to stifle his laugh. He went to step forward...only to trip on a glass bottle.

Of course Dean grabbed him before he fell, but the damage was done. The glass bottle skittered across the cement, the clanging echoing throughout the alley.

_Please let this place be abandoned...please..._

Both brothers swore when they heard the growling.

Dean finished helping Sam back on his feet and stood in front of his little brother. He had one hand held out in front of him, waiting to use his powers, and the other had pulled out a pistol from his hoister.

"It's okay, we can handle this," Dean said cooly.

Yeah... _we_...like Dean was going to let Sam go near that Croat if he could help it.

The Croat ran out from behind a corner, it was basically foaming at the mouth, dried blood coating it's face.

"Dude, you're fugly." Dean snickered. He raised his gun and shot the Croat directly in the forehead.

The thing staggered backwards, growled angrily, and charged at them even faster.

What the hell?!

"Sammy watch yourself!" Dean yelled. He dropped his pistol and pulled out his machete at the same time Sam did.

Since Croats were created from a demonic disease, Dean's powers didn't work on them. But they still could come in handy. The older brother swiped his hand to the side and a tipped over dumpster slid across the pavement and slammed into the charging Croat, pinning it against the brick wall. He ran over to it, ignoring the way it was snapping at him, spit flying, and hacked it's head off with one powerful swing.

Dean looked down at the head and kicked it. Sam gaged in disgust.

"I'm not doing this for kicks…heh, kicks." Dean chuckled at his words and then got serious. "Shooting it in the head didn't work. That has  _always_  worked. I need to make sure cutting it's head off still kills it."

"Well, the body and head aren't moving. I think it's dead." Sam stepped over the nasty thing. "What the hell though? Are they changing? Developing further? Is the disease advancing?"

Dean shook his head. "I have no fucking idea. But I think all this weird shit that's going down is related to each other. We just gotta figure it out. Now let's hurry out of here be…"

A metal door to one of the buildings in the alley slammed open. Three burly looking men stepped out…with shotguns.

Shit.

"Aww, would you look at that? These two pretty boys killed out Croat!" one of the dirty men spoke. Just the fact that he wore a shirt that read "hot daddy" on it pointed out that he was scum.

Dean was standing in front of Sam, his machete still clenched in his hand, the power radiating off of him could be felt by the younger brother, who understood that it meant Dean was ready for this situation to go bad.

"Your Croat?" Sam spoke, glancing at the dead body.

"Keeps scavengers like you two away…or at least we thought. Didn't you read our signs? Or are you illiterate?"

"We're not scavengers, we're just passing through. We thought the signs were old, we don't mean any harm." Sam stepped over to stand beside Dean, who shot him a warning look.

"Uh huh, sure." 'Hot daddy' snickered. Sam caught how he was eyeing their backpacks. This wasn't good. "You took something of ours, you gotta pay. No way out."

That must have been a code for something, because one of his cronies pointed his shotgun directly at Sam…

The shot went off, but Sam felt no pain. What he did feel though, was his brother being pushed into him…his brother who stepped in front of him to take the bullet and the force of getting hit pushed him back.

But only for a moment.

Dean was lunging at the guys within the blink of an eye. His sunglasses had fallen to the ground due to the force of the gunshot and the men were too startled to do anything but stand there.

Not like they had a chance.

By the time Sam reached Dean, one of the guys were dead, his neck snapped, and the other had just taken Dean's machete to the brain.

"Dean! Okay, that's enough!" Sam said, trying to calm his brother down. Dean ignored him and turned toward the guy crawling on the ground, nearly snarling. He clenched his fist and the man's right leg snapped with a scream.

"Dean!" Sam was able to grab his brother and turn him around. Dean was grinning at the yells of pain that were coming from the man. Sam had to snap him out of it. Dean had taken a backseat to the darkness inside him. It was okay. Sam just had to bring him back like he always did. Get Dean to relax and focus on something else.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Sam had his hands on Dean's tense shoulders and squeezed. "Just let him go. He isn't the one that shot or ordered to shoot. Let's hurry and get out of here before demons or Croats are attracted to the sound, alright?"

Dean was still breathing heavy, and Sam searched his black eyes for any sign of that lighthearted and annoying demon he was used to. He didn't see it yet, but Dean put his machete back in his holster. He nodded at Sam.

"Okay, okay, let's get going." Sam turned around to pick up the gun Dean had dropped earlier.

A scream cut through the air. Sam looked over his shoulder just in time to see Dean literally rip the man's throat out…with his bare hands.

* * *

_Please leave a few words let me know what you think, what you'd like to see. I just want to know if anyone is still reading or enjoying this._


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you for all the feedback. It's nice to know that people are still reading this. I hope you continue to enjoy.

* * *

"DEAN!" Sam dropped the gun and ran for his brother….his brother who was now holding the muscle and flesh from the jerk's throat.

It only took a few seconds, but those seconds felt like an eternity until he reached Dean. He came up behind his brother and wrapped his arms around him, pinning Dean's arms to his sides. Dean tried to pull away, still snarling in an almost feral way. It was a good thing Sam was using his powers to keep Dean from moving or else Sam wouldn't have stood a chance.

"Dean! Please!" Sam begged. He turned his brother around, scared, not for himself but for Dean, by the wild and inhuman look on his face. "He's dead…he's dead. You got them, you can relax now. It's okay. Please Dean…please."

Dean finally looked up to lock eyes with his younger brother. Sam kept his powers in place to prevent him from moving, and placed both hands on his brother's shoulders. "It's okay.  _I'm_ okay. I'm not hurt. You saved me….you saved  _us_. Okay? You did good," Sam told him as calmly as he could. Dean needed to know that Sam wasn't upset with what he'd done.

Dean seemed to calm down some…his breathing evened out and he kept Sam's gaze, something he hadn't done the first time. It had been Sam's fault for not calming Dean down properly that time, for failing to make sure that Dean was truly back.

"Yeah." Sam nodded eagerly. "Now come back Dean, please. Come on big brother, I need you."

Something seemed to unlock inside Dean with those last words. Sam could practically see the darkness taking a backseat. His smoke cloud relaxed, no longer sparking madly. His expression changed from that lost, feral look to one of confusion and worry.

"Sammy…," he said and Sam felt his eyes watering from relief. "Sammy…I'm sorry."

He knew Dean wasn't apologizing for what he did. Dean didn't care about that. He was apologizing for scaring Sam.

"It's okay, it's okay." Sam nearly laughed from happiness and squeezed Dean's shoulders. "You didn't do anything wrong, just…you got lost there for a while…I thought…"

"I'm sorry," Dean said again. "Shit…I was never going to hurt you. You know that…"

"I know that, Dean. Of course I know that. I wasn't worried about me. I was scared for you…for your state of mind."

"They tried to kill you." Dean growled, clenching his fists and causing the nasty mess he still had in his hand to make a disgusting squishing sound.

"I know. And thank you. You did the right thing. Maybe just next time…" Sam glanced at the contents in Dean's hand. "Don't go so overboard."

Dean noticed what he was holding and let it drop to the ground. He went to turn to look at the bodies, but Sam stopped him.

"You know I could have done a hell of a lot worse than what I did to them," Dean told him. "I was a master torturer…that….that was nothing. I could have made them suffer. I know how to create the most pain as possible."

Dean did have a point. Still, Sam didn't want to see him getting like that again. "I get it Dean, I do. I just don't want you to get in whatever mindset you were at again. It's never gotten that bad before. I told you to leave that one guy…"

"He was part of it too, Sammy. If people try and kill you…they're dead. I told you that. No one lives that tries to hurt you." Dean's tone left no room for argument, and of course, no remorse for what he had done.

"Okay, okay," Sam said. He picked up the pistol he dropped earlier and gave it back to Dean. He didn't fail to notice that Dean's hands were shaking a bit. He put a hand on Dean's forearm and squeezed. "You sure you're okay?"

Dean noticed the shaking and nodded. "I'm fine. It's just the aftermath of being so worked up. It'll stop soon." He looked toward the other side of the alley, which was also enclosed by a fence. "Let's go."

Sam looked back toward the door that the guys came from. "Dean…they came from here. There could be people inside…victims. We have to at least check it out."

Sam could tell by the frustrated look on Dean's face that going in the building and trying to help people was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Okay. Fine. But let's hurry." He sighed, shocking Sam. It seemed like Dean still felt bad for what happened, and wanted to do something that would make Sam happy.

Dean bent down near a puddle of water left by the storm and rinsed his bloody hands. They then walked over to the door together.

"Wait, let me listen," Dean told Sam. He pressed his ear against the door, concentrating. Sam knew that demons had better hearing. It wasn't anything amazing or crazy, but it was still stronger than the average human. "There's a girl…or woman…at least two…one is crying and the other is talking to her. I can't hear what they're saying."

"Do you think it's safe to go in?" Sam asked.

"Maybe. I think I should go in first, then…"

"Uh uh." Sam shook his head wildly. No way. Especially after what had just happened. "I'm going in with you. We're a team Dean." Maybe if Dean actually let him do more, he wouldn't have to deal with the pressure of killing everything on his own, and he wouldn't lose himself to the feeling of causing pain and terror.

Dean looked anything but happy at that request. "If anything happens to you..."

"It won't. We've got each other's backs. We're stronger together." Sam tried to open the steel door, letting Dean know he was taking charge. It was locked. He gestured toward the dead bodies. "They probably have keys on them..."

Dean took a step back, lifted his leg and kicked down the heavy door in one swift motion. It was barely hanging onto the broken hinges.

Oh. Okay then.

Dean walked in first, holding his pistol in front of him and Sam followed without a word. It was dark, and even though Sam could now hear the frightened sounds from the women, he couldn't see where they were.

He grabbed the flashlight from the side pocket of his backpack, and turned it on. The room filled with light, and the first thing Sam saw, other than his brother in front of him, was a disheveled woman charging at them wildly.

Dean easily grabbed her arm as she attempted to knock them off balance. She didn't even have a weapon on her, she had just been that desperate to escape.

"Please, please let us go! We're kept as slaves here! Please don't hurt us!"

Dean glanced at the her, and Sam immediately cursed. They never picked up Dean's sunglasses. His black eyes were out in the open for these women to see, making everything ten times harder.

Just as Sam expected, the woman screamed, her eyes full of terror. Dean covered her mouth with his other hand.

"Shut the hell up or every Croat and demon within ten miles is going to find us!"

Another woman stood up from the location in which the first one had emerged from. She actually looked no older than 17 and her face was battered, her expression hopeless. Sam felt like he was going to be sick.

"Just make it quick," she said. "Unlike those men, just put a bullet in our heads. Go ahead and rape us, but then please make it end."

Dean turned his head to look at her. "RAPE you? Who the hell do you think I am? I just killed those assholes out there!"

The girl seemed confused, yet relieved by the news her captors were dead. "You're a demon."

"Yes, obviously. What? You think that means I want to rape you? I may have done a lot of shit, but raping someone, let alone some KID, isn't on my list of what I find fun."

"They sure had no problem doing it," she shrugged. "So why should you? You're not even human."

"Exactly. I'm not human but I have more of a sense about what is crossing the line and downright sick." Dean released the woman he had been holding. "They fucking raped you? They had nothing better to do in this world? Man am I glad I ripped that one's throat out..."

The woman had backed up to stand by the teenager now that she was free of Dean's grasp. They both were simply staring at Dean with the most confused expression on their faces.

Sam decided it was time for him to speak up. He walked over so that he was standing in front of his mumbling brother.

"I'm Sam. This is my brother Dean. He's a demon, but he's on the right side. I know it seems impossible, but he's got me and we make it work. He's not going to hurt you in any way. He got those guys. We came in here to see if we could rescue anyone."

"This is fucking disgusting!" Dean suddenly shouted. He had his own flashlight out and was sweeping it around the filthy room, probably noticing things that Sam didn't want to see. "Who the hell does this just because society ended?"

"People have been known to do it all the time back in the old world, Dean."

"This is just the sickest thing, a _kid_  goddamnit."

Sam couldn't help but smile. Dean didn't give himself enough credit. He could be an asshole and erratic, but he was a damn good guy at heart. Sam wasn't sure what the reasoning was for Dean's angry outburst over the rape, but at least he was disgusted by it. "I know," Sam offered the women a sad look. "It's horrible. I'm so sorry you had to go through this."

Dean continued on his rant. "I'm a fucking demon and hey, I like to torture. I think it's fun. But it was never  _this_  shit. And it's not like I'm going to hold some kind of torture chamber if I don't have to, and torture random people who mind their own business and  _kids_  just for the hell of it."

"Are demons usually like this?" The older woman cleared her throat and looked at Sam.

"No. He's more...good...than most. Look, we have some people we're searching for, but we want you to get somewhere safe."

"Are there places to go to?" she asked. "We've been stuck here for months...have things calmed down? Did the government set up..."

"Government's dead and gone lady," Dean grunted. "As far as we know anyway. Had to be the first ones the demons headed towards to kill. Probably partying it out in the white house right now."

"And you're not doing the same...why?" the teenager asked. She still looked skeptical, but there was some hope on her face now...hope that she would actually escape her hell. Anything was better than what she had experienced.

"Because I hate them and they hate me," Dean deadpanned. "Good enough for you?"

Sam walked over to Dean and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to convey to his brother not to worry about anything. He didn't have to get involved. Sam would handle this.

"If he wanted, he could have killed us all in a second. Don't worry about Dean. I want you two to have somewhere safe you can stay for a bit. Dean and I parked our car in a house garage on Conner Street. When you get out of this alley, turn right. It has light blue shutters, two stories, on the right hand side." Sam handed the older woman the keys they had taken. "You can stay there until we come back, or maybe later. We just know this house is safe."

"Thank you." The woman's eyes filled with tears. "I honestly thought I'd never see another human being again other than Ashley and those sick men...let alone a kind one..."

Dean cleared his throat.

"Uh...and his demon...companion."

"Brother," Dean hissed. "We're brothers. And don't you think of touching my damn car when you get into that house or I WILL hunt you down and rip your throats out too..."

" _Dean!"_  Sam moved his hand down to Dean's forearm and started pulling him away. "Stop scaring them." He turned to the women with a smile. "He does this on purpose, he likes freaking people out."

"Rather have a demon being an asshole than killing innocent people," the girl, Ashley, shrugged. "We won't touch the car. Trust me, we're not looking for any more possible trouble."

Sam nodded, and he proceeded to help the women find and take the small stash of food that their captors had hidden while Dean kept watch. Sam even gave them some of his supplies that he didn't think he would need, and an extra gun, along with some holy water, in case they ran into demons.

Dean hadn't been happy about Sam giving away parts of his stash. Dean never offered anything of his, of course, even though with his powers, he didn't need much. Sam assured his brother that it was okay to give up his pistol, he could just take one of the men's shotguns.

With the fence in the way, Sam asked Dean if he could teleport the women to the other side. He agreed, but grumbled about it at the same time. As if turning away from Sam for a second would have some monster come out and kill him.

Dean was back by Sam's side in a few seconds. They looked out at the women.

"Good luck. We'll see you when we get back."

"Thank you, thank you so much," the older woman, who Sam never got her name, was crying again.

"Stop crying and toughen up or else you'll get killed," Dean told her gruffly. Sam was about to yell at his brother again, until Dean continued. "You seem halfway decent people, so I'd rather prefer to have you guys live than rapists bastards and murderers. As soon as you can, get the hell out of the city and find some farm to shack up in. Things are only gonna get worse here."

That was the most Dean had spoken to these women the entire time. He wasn't as much of an asshole towards them as he was letting on, he had made it clear that he would prefer for them not to die. Which was a lot, for a demon.

Watching them walk away, Sam was left thinking about the crazy way Dean reacted when he had learned they were kept to be raped. He didn't expect Dean to like it, maybe even thought he'd be a little disgusted by it, but like most things, he didn't think Dean would have shown so much emotion because of it.

It had him wondering...what the hell happened to Dean in Hell? Sam had thought of unspeakable torture. But his mind had never crossed the torture of rape. He wasn't sure if it was because he honestly didn't think it had happened...or if he just couldn't stand to think of his brother in that type of situation.

"Hey...Dean," Sam asked once they were on the other side of the fence. He couldn't help it, he at least had to try and talk to him. Before they made it back out on the street.

"What?" Dean didn't sound as agitated anymore, but the carefree attitude that had been slowly returning had now disappeared once again.

"When you acted that way when the women got raped...I don't know. It surprised me."

Dean turned to look at Sam, a look so intense that it made Sam shiver. "You were surprised because I was pissed off by what those disgusting shitheads did!?"

"I mean...no...I just didn't expect you to act so...affected by it." Sam swallowed, knowing he was going to get ignored or yelled at for what came next. But he had to say it. "Dean...what did they do to you in Hell...did they...?"

Dean's angry face turned blank in an instant. Shit, shit, shit! Sam felt like he was going to be physically ill.

"What the hell do you think they did to me, Sam? It's HELL," he stated coolly.

Sam wanted nothing more than to wrap his brother in a hug and cry on his shoulder. To let him know he was here for him...to have Dean talk to him about it. But he knew that would never happen, and not even a hug would be tolerated with Dean in the mood he was in.

"Dean, I'm so damn sorry," was what Sam settled for. He couldn't help but the few tears that fell from his eyes.

The tears just seemed to irritate Dean some more. "What did I just tell that lady? Stop crying like a damn baby, you're gonna be distracted and get shot or something. I need you at a hundred percent, not crying over some stupid shit that happened in the past. It's over Sam, I don't care about that, it doesn't affect me. I'm not human, remember?"

Sam nodded, knowing it was the only thing he could do, and tried to control his sadness and anger over the situation. But...if Dean wasn't affected by his own rape...if that wasn't what brought out the intense emotions earlier...than what WAS the cause of his outbursts? What could be worse than what Sam had just found out?

* * *

Dean internally swore as he locked up the small house they found to stay the night in. It blended in, didn't look appealing, not someplace someone would think of to stay. They should be safe here for the night. Still, Dean made sure that there was furniture against the doors, everything was salted, and the windows had the curtains closed.

He hated being in the city, especially with what they learned from the angel and Jo. Demons were taking over the cities, and they would find them. Hell, Dean didn't understand why they hadn't found them already.

There was nothing more he wanted than to grab Sam, get the hell out of the city, and probably get out of the hotel as well. Find somewhere secluded. Just him and Sam. Maybe Bobby too. There were too many people at the hotel for his liking, and with the demons using humans and spies...who knew if a person they saved could be out to get them?

And on top of all this, Dean now had to worry about Sam getting emotional over what he learned happened to him in Hell. What had Sam expected? Of course the damn demons had raped him. Now Sam would probably act all weird and timid and not sure how to behave around him, which was exactly the opposite of what Dean needed right now.

He just wanted Sam to forget about it. It wasn't what had upset him anyway. It was what those bastards had done to Sam...

Technically, it wasn't Sam, of course. But it looked, sounded, and acted like him. He had to watch what he sometimes believed was his baby brother get raped in the most brutal of ways, crying out to Dean to save him, and he couldn't move, was forced to watch. They even peeled off his eyelids one time so he couldn't blink...

And worst of all, were their threats to actually rape the REAL Sam. Explaining in great detail what they would do to his little brother...

Dean suddenly reached out his hand, and sent a dusty vase flying across the room. It shattered into dozens of pieces, and while it didn't make him feel better, Dean had the urge to just destroy everything inside this house...

"Dean! Hey!" Sam was at his side immediately. Shit, now he was worrying Sam even more than he already had. Just perfect. "Hey...it's okay. Whatever it was...it's over. And it's not going to happen again."

Yeah, Dean wished he could say that. Who knew what Alastair would do to get to Dean? What if he...

"Dean! Dude, you're shaking again...just relax. Please?" Sam had his hand on Dean's neck, probably in an attempt to ground him. "I know you don't want to...but if you ever find it able to talk to me, just know I'm more than willing to listen and help you."

Dean took a deep breath and pulled away from Sam. Even though the physical contact helped calm him greatly, Dean would never admit to it. "I'll be fine Sam."

"You just threw that vase across the room with your powers. You're hurting Dean. Let me know what I can do to help. Please?"

Dean wanted to simply ignore his brother until he shut up. But the sad look Sam was giving him told Dean that he was hurting as well. And Dean just couldn't have that.

"Listen, just...don't bring it up again? Alright? Just want to forget about it. And don't get all emotional about it. It's nothing you have to worry about."

Sam still looked worried, but he nodded. "Okay. Did you finish warding these rooms?"

Dean was relieved to have the topic dropped. Maybe he could chill out now. It was only causing Sam stress he didn't need. Sam was already depressed over more important things than worrying about his demon brother.

"Yeah. How 'bout you?"

"Everything's set. Do you think we'll ever be able to find them?"

 _Nope not at all._  "All we can do is check main areas. Can't do much else in a city roaming with demons. It's not safe."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish we could do more."

"I don't know what you honestly expected to find, Sammy."

"I guess I just didn't want to give up without trying." Sam sighed. "Maybe we can look for a few more days, and then head back?"

A few days too many, in Dean's opinion. "Well, while we're stuck in the city, might as well look for things to steal. You gonna help look or what?"

* * *

Of course there was another thunderstorm. Just what they needed. Not as bad as the crazy one they had last night, but still bad enough to worry a bit and possibly keep them stuck in the house for part of the day tomorrow if it didn't clear up.

They were sitting in the living room of the house, Sam was looking through a fiction novel, and Dean was snooping at the family's photo albums. Of course Sam disapproved, but he smartly kept his mouth shut about it this time. Kid needed to learn to get over being depressed about dead people. These people were either raging Croats, spirits hiding out somewhere, or getting tortured in Hell, turning into murderous demons. What was there to feel bad about when their old selves didn't exist anymore? When there was nothing they could do with heaven closed? Everyone was screwed.

"You might actually like this," Sam said, closing the book and reaching over to hand it to Dean.

Dean gave Sam a glare, thinking at first that this was simply Sam's way of getting him to stop looking at the past lives of dead people. But Sam actually had an earnest look on his face...he may actually be serious.

Dean snatched the book from him and Sam continued to talk. "Looks like lots of killing, sex and it's a western. Your favorites."

Dean regarded the book. They wouldn't have the hotel forever, he was certain about that. Maybe they'd have to stay in a place where they couldn't hook up a TV or ran out of DVDs to watch. And he did enjoy all those three things Sam mentioned. He preferred watching thins blow up, on screen or in real life, but he never minded reading. Sam was just always the one more into it.

"Can't go wrong with bad-ass westerns." Dean put the book in his duffle bag to check out later. "Who knows, maybe the world will turn back into the Wild West...like a Croatoan Wild West with cowboys killing them off. I could be a demonic cowboy. That would be freaking awesome."

Sam smiled, seeming genuinely happy at Deans dorky comment. It was then that Dean realized he may be acting too difficult with his brother, too harsh. He should go easy on Sam, try not to freak out as much. It was learning that Sam wanted another family that had gotten Dean so worked up in the first place, it was why he hadn't been able to snap out of it when Sam called for him when he was killing those men.

But Sam didn't  _seem_  like he wanted Dean gone. He was going out of his way to try and help his brother, to make Dean feel better. Even the stubborn older Winchester couldn't deny that. Maybe Sam hadn't meant that he was going to replace Dean with his new possible new family. If that were true, why would Sam be acting like he cared so much and be so concerned for him?

So he should probably go out of his way and try to stop being such an ass to Sam or else the younger brother really wouldn't want him around. He was being too hard on the kid and he really did need to relax. He'd find out what Sam really wanted eventually, if he ever did want Dean gone.

"Of course only you would be pleased with being a demonic cowboy." Sam rolled his eyes.

"What can I say, I'd be even more badass than I already am. We should move a little south, grab some horses..."

"You'd never give up your precious car."

"Oh I'm not saying I would. We'd keep her safe, use her for emergencies to save gas as much as possible. And we'd ride horses throughout the plains. We'd be the feared monster hunting brothers, the lone rangers..."

"Wasn't the lone ranger called 'lone' because he was well...alone? With us together that kinda defeats the..."

"Oh shut up Mr. Technical! You know what I'm talking about!" Dean whipped a pillow at Sam. "Everyone would fear or envy us. We'd get all the girls we passed, they'd be drooling over us."

"Yeah, work on being able to change your eyes human again, then you can begin to dream." Sam laughed.

"Hey, I have no problem getting women with demon eyes at the hotel! They think it's sexy and dangerous. I'm charming. Just working on Jo now."

Sam gave Dean a death-glare. "Yeah, a charming asshole. It's not a game how many women you can score. Good luck with getting Jo. Can you imagine Ellen's reaction!"

"If she's even alive."

Sam's face fell. "Really Dean?"

Stupid baby still couldn't get used to his demonic carelessness and morbid humor? "I'm kidding! Mostly."

Sam was still pouting, about to probably make some whiny retort, but before he could begin, the lights began to flicker in the room. Sam turned toward Dean, silently asking if he was messing with the lights with his powers.

"I haven't even bothered to turn on the electricity." He hadn't done so because turning on the lights, even for a little bit, could attract the demons nearby. Dean jumped up and pulled out Ruby's knife, while Sam pulled out the Colt. They both knew this was the work of demons or spirits. Dean hoped they hadn't been discovered. He was sure they'd been so careful!

There was a small flash, and about 5 feet in front of Dean, a figure appeared. Dean went to lunge but paused when he saw who the man was.

"Crowley?"

The demon had his arms folded across his chest, looking nothing short of pissed off.

"Drop that damn knife. You do the same with that gun moose. Do you know how idiotic you are to be in the middle of this bloody city? Do you have any idea of how many demons are lurking here?"

"Wait." Sam shook his head. "How did you even find us?"

"It's called a reverse summoning, dumbass."

Huh. Dean never thought of that. "So what, you just say the summoning ritual backwards?"

"Not so difficult, even for you," Crowley sneered. "I knew you would blow a gasket if I summoned you away from your precious brother, so I had to resort to this. It takes you to the demon instead of bringing the demon to you."

 _A lot more dangerous if you didn't know where the demon was_ , Dean assumed. But it could still be useful. "What do you want? We know you want us to get rid of Alastair. Not as easy as it looks when you have no clue where he is."

"That's why I risked everything to teleport to you two buffoons. I've gotten wind of his location. He's within this city, or at least has a base here. He knows you're around, probably even knows where you're staying."

"Then why the hell hasn't he captured me yet?"

"He's waiting for something, obviously. He doesn't just want to capture you. He wants something else and needs to wait for the right time. He will come to you when he's ready, so that's why you have to be prepared. Get out of the city where you could be outnumbered. Strike him down fast when he comes and do not let me down or..."

"Yeah yeah, take it easy. Were the ones doing your dirty work in order to give you the crown you're crying about," Dean hissed.

"And in return, I leave you two alone. You're free to not answer to me once I become king. We will mind our own business. Sounds pretty damn fair to me."

"Know anything else they're up to? Any part of their plan?" Dean continued, ignoring Crowley's previous statement.

"Do you think they would spill all their secrets to the guy that wants to take over?" At Sam and Deans bored expressions he continued. "I didn't think so. I lost dozens of my minions trying to find out any shred of information. All I know is that they are taking after my ways and gathering human slaves, but to more of an extreme. So don't think of even trusting a poor little child on the side of the road. Shoot them on the spot."

"We knew about the slaves. We're not going to shoot kids," Sam stated boldly.

"Good luck then." Crowley shrugged carelessly. "They'll use the most innocent situations to grab you most likely. Just like they did with your little friends."

"Friends?" Sam's face lit up with hope. "Ellen and Carl? Where are they?"

"Like I would know, dumbass! And if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Don't even think of bothering to save them. They're probably in a human prison the demons created. There's no chance to get them out."

Sam went to speak, but Dean concentrated and blocked off Sam's ability to talk. Hopefully Sam would get the hint and not freak out. His brother seemed to have a good feel on when it was Dean's powers affecting him and not another demons.

Luckily, Sam stayed calm and glanced at Dean. Didn't they have some kind of telepathic thing going on with the demon blood link? Dean swore that link was what helped him snap out of it earlier. It was as if he heard Sam calling to him in his mind, rather than just with his voice. It was a stronger kind of communication that was able to break through to him. Maybe he could try communicating to Sam that way right now?

Dean focused, trying to use his powers to talk to Sam rather than use his other demony abilities. He felt that connection they shared, and reached out by using that link between them.

_Don't worry. Don't say anything and he'll go away quicker. Best to not argue._

Sam blinked in surprise. Dean took that at a sign that it worked and smirked.

"Well..." Crowley looked back and forth between them in confusion. "I'll leave you two to your moment." He focused on Dean. "Remember what I told you, squirrel. Get a move on, because the longer Alastair rules, the bigger of a mess I have to clean up. I'll be checking in."

With that, he was gone.

"Why am I a damn squirrel?" Dean spun around to face his brother.

"Yeah, because that's the most important thing we need to be worrying about right now."

"Really, I get you being a moose but me...a squirrel? Doesn't make any damn sense."

"Actually," Sam had a mischievous look on his face for once. "Let's see...you love to horde food and eat, you love to sleep... Hmmm, your favorite things to so are to steal things and annoy people...should I go on?"

"Enough, alright! Stupid nickname." A clap of thunder sounded outside and Dean figured that was the perfect interruption to this conversation.

"So...," Sam started, sitting back down on the couch. "That was interesting. I was wondering when he would turn up again."

"Stupid ass won't leave us be until we do the work for him. But it's still better than having Alastair ruling Hell. At least Crowley would stop the chaos, he is the businessman after all."

"True. And we at least know Ellen and Carl are alive. Crowley said they may be in a prison of some sort. The demons could have turned a building into one. Remember what Jo told us? That they almost got ambushed at the public library earlier?"

Dean hadn't even thought of that. He had assumed that the two humans had either been wandering around lost or hurt, or they were dead. He didn't think of them being prisoners. "The library would make sense. Sounded like they were creating a base there. We'll look tomorrow, but if it's as bad as Crowley says..."

"No, I get it Dean. We can't risk our own lives on a suicide mission. But there could be something we could do."

"I'm more interested in possibly spying on the demons and finding out more info."

Sam shrugged. "You may be able to find out that too."

They sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the rain and occasional thunder from outside.

"So...that thing you did...," Sam started awkwardly. "I heard you, clearer than when you were talking to me. Is this...is this how you heard me back when you were fighting the Wendigos?"

"Yeah, and when I was killing those guys, I heard your thoughts more than the words you were actually saying. Figured I could practice it, and hey, it worked. We should work on that some more."

Sam was smiling. "I wonder how far it stretches? How far we can be away from each other and it would still work."

"I don't think it's a physical thing, more like an emotional link. But maybe distance makes it harder to send our thoughts across when we can't see each other?" Dean sighed. "Dude, I don't know. This is bordering on creepy talking about our emotional linkage and crap. I'm done. Let's not think too much into it."

"Ohh what? You mean the whole,  _'hey my brother's drinking my blood'_  thing and the whole  _'we're soulmates'_ fact makes you uncomfortable? I'm disappointed in you, Dean." Sam snickered. "Because you know those two things are probably why we have this connection. We gotta discuss it and our feelings and love or we'll never discover how it works!"

"Stop being an ass." Dean flipped his brother off, but damn, was it good to see the kid joke. Hopefully, his happiness didn't just stem from the fact that they may find Ellen and Carl alive. Dean wanted to be the reason Sam could smile and be relaxed. He just wasn't sure if he was good enough, or if Sam would always need more.

But for now, they were being brothers. And it felt good. Sam wasn't judging him, and Dean felt himself forget about the events of the last few days. Hopefully, he was just over-thinking everything.

* * *

Sam was thrilled to finally see his brother start to relax. He had been worried there for a while, for Dean's state of mind. But he seemed to be feeling better now. Sam just wished he knew how to help, how to prevent Dean from feeling that way again.

Dean didn't like to talk, obviously. But maybe Sam could show his brother he was there for him in other ways. Touching Dean seemed to settle him down. It was probably more than the simple fact that physical contact grounded him, but also due to the whole soulmate thing. Dean never really initiated any sort of contact with Sam, other than to punch him, but in the rare moment of hugs, Sam never felt more at ease. It probably had a similar effect on Dean, demon or not.

They were lying in the master bedroom, trying to get some sleep on the dusty sheets and ignore the thunder rumbling outside of their shelter. Dean still seemed a bit tense, definitely not sleeping, so Sam reached over and put a hand on his brothers shoulder.

Dean was facing away from him, so Sam couldn't see the expression in his face, but his entire body startled for a moment before completely relaxing. Sam smiled, glad to be able to help in some way. He also felt more at ease as he drifted off to sleep. If Dean allowed him to do little things like this, maybe it was all he needed.

* * *

Not-so quiet voices awoke Sam was his peaceful, dreamless slumber. He startled upright, grabbing the Colt under his pillow and unintentionally waking Dean up as well.

"What the hell? What's wrong?" Dean asked. He had Ruby's knife in his hand and was glancing around the room quickly. When he didn't see a threat, he turned concerned black eyes toward Sam. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Shhh...listen..."

Dean shut up and both brothers concentrated. The voices grew louder and Sam could eventually sense the dark energy of demons nearby.

"I knew this was stupid!" Dean hissed. "They're probably out patrolling the streets looking for us."

"Remember what Crowley said though? Alastair is waiting to make his move."

"That doesn't mean he'll grab us if there's an opportunity right in front of him." Dean growled. "He's looking for me, not you. But if you're with me, what's gonna stop him from hurting or killing you?"

Dean was getting worked up yet again. Sam squeezed his shoulder and stood up. "It's okay. They're not going to find us. They can't sense us. We're safe unless we alert ourselves to them. Now let's try and listen to what they're saying in case they get closer."

They quietly crept into the living room, closer to where the voices were coming from. If the demons passed the house, maybe they would be able to make out what they were saying.

Dean crouched by the large, curtain-drawn window in the living room, turning around and motioning for Sam to stay back.

Yeah, right. Dean was being ridiculous. What kind of danger could possibly get Sam from in front of the window, but not standing five feet back? He knelt down next to his brother and gave him a returning glare.

Dean just huffed and slowly moved his index finger, the curtain fluttered just barely, held opened by Dean's powers. It was enough for them to peer outside, but not for anyone else to notice them.

The demons weren't near yet, they may not even pass this way. Sam wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. All they could do is wait.

"Dude," Sam sniffed the air, noticing the lingering smell. "It reeks of sulfur in here. Even those candles we lit earlier didn't get rid of it. What did you do?"

Dean gave Sam an expression that could kill. "Oh yeah, it was me. I just shoot sulfur out of my ass."

Sam chuckled. "You  _are_  a demon."

"Have you ever noticed me leaving tons of sulfur around before? Demons leave sulfur behind when they teleport, dumbass. More sulfur the greater distance they travel. Who just teleported in and out of here?"

"Oh. Crowley."

"And you call yourself a college boy and an experienced hunter. Secret time. It's sulfuric flatulence."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Knowing you, you would have it. Where does it even come from anyway?"

Dean smirked. "I just told you. But really, I have no idea. It's pretty gross. I try not to think of it, honestly. I think it's just some sort of residue that gets left behind due to the power of transporting?"

"Look at you, talking all smart."

"Shut up, bitch."

Sam didn't need to be told though. A loud clatter echoed through the night and both brothers focused on the street outside.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" a gravely male voice hissed, just within hearing range.

"Who cares," another male, the voice softer but also mean sounding. "I'm pissed. And bored. Why be quiet?"

"What if the Winchesters are out here? It would alert them to us and have them hide, ruining our chance to capture them."

"They're not stupid enough to come here. And you know what the boss said, not to touch them. Wait for his stupid plan."

Huh, that was exactly what Crowley had told them. Good to know the demon hadn't been lying. It was also good that some of Alastair's minions were so stupid as to be shouting in the streets so they would hear them.

"I'd have more faith if he told us what the plan is. Maybe he's just stalling and doesn't know how to get them, maybe if we do capture them, he would reward us."

"Yeah, by sending us back to hell!"

"Whatever. But still, stop kicking things. The Winchesters could also hear us and come kill us!"

"Why's it so damn hard for them to die anyway?"

"Who knows. And now with one a demon it's just ten times harder. This whole thing is stupid. If he wants t take over or whatever, then just forget about the Winchesters. He already made the deal with  _her_  so we're pretty much unstoppable now."

Sam shared a look with his brother.  _Her?_

 _I've got no idea. This could be something._  Dean's voice was heard in Sam's mind. It still startled him, but it was really neat.

They watched as the demons slowly sauntered down the street, with the storm passed and a little bit of moonlight shining, they were made partially visible. These two obviously weren't caring for whatever their assignment was.

"Yeah, as if we'd ever get the chance to actually see Alastair and tell him. And if we did, we'd..."

"Yeah, yeah, he'd send us back to Hell."

The demon that had originally made noise kicked a can across the street violently, hitting debris in the street and echoing through the night. He laughed at his pointless actions and his companion started cursing at him. Sam heard the deep growling before the demons were made aware.

A Croat stumbled out of a building who's door was on its hinges. The demons continued to argue with one another until the Croat was nearly ten feet away, sprinting right at them.

They turned, from their posture it seemed they were annoyed. The quieter one grabbed the creature when it got near and threw it to the ground. The other pulled out a gun and shot it in the head.

Just like what happened with the brothers, the Croat continued to snarl, seeming unaffected by the bullet.

"Damn, it's a mutated one," the demon who shot the gun growled. "Hate these things, getting my hands all dirty."

"Soon they'll all be that way so you can quit crying, you wuss." The other demon walked over, and yanked off the Croat's head with a few tugs. "Things should go a lot smoother once the mutation spreads. Think about it, all the humans wiped out or our slaves. Alastair won't have us doing his dirty work anymore because there won't be anything left do to! We can grab a mansion and live it up!"

They continued to jabber, kicking the Croat body around a bit and slowly walking further away.

"Dean...," Sam spoke once he felt it was safe. "We need to follow them."

Dean let the blinds fall back into place and gave Sam a bewildered look. "Are you nuts? They are  _patrolling the streets_. Who knows how many more are out there? And it's too dark. These things are becoming  _mutated_  now and we don't know why! No way."

"But, they could lead us to Ellen and Carl. And we could probably find out so much more by seeing where they are headed to!"

Dean shook his head. "I'm not allowing you to go out there. If you so badly want to know where they are headed to, I'll tell you this. You extract my soul and I'll follow them in smoke-cloud form."

"I'd never let you go out there alone!" Sam interrupted him.

"Let me finish, damnit!" Dean hissed. "If the two of us follow them, we'll be making noise and it will be so much more difficult. I can go float around and follow them without them knowing. You know how much easier it is for me to hide in that form? I'll follow them until they get back to a base or whatever. Then I'll come right back to you and we'll head there once it's light. Understand?"

Sam didn't like the sound of that. He knew the demons couldn't sense Dean with the spell he had, but that didn't mean he wanted him going out there alone, where Sam couldn't watch his back. "Dean, I don't know about this."

"You want to know where they might be? Then this is the best way to do it." Dean shrugged. "We're just wasting time. They're getting further away."

"Those two idiots are being so loud, it's not like you won't be able to find them." Sam sighed. "Okay. But once you find out where they're at, don't go trying to rescue them on your own. Come back and get me _. Promise me_."

"I'm not an moron. If we'd try and break them out, we'd need a plan. I'm gonna come back."

"Then promise me," Sam deadpanned, needing to hear those words come from his brother's mouth.

"I promise you! Sheesh! I'm not gonna start lying to you now. I'll be back in an hour tops. You'll be safe here, just keep the place locked and be quiet. Try to ignore the stench that will come from my rotting body. Now come on, set me free!" Dean put his arms up in the air and grinned.

Sam rolled his eyes as he easily extracted his brother's soul. He caught Dean's body as it fell and moved it to the worn-out couch, still never used to the thought that he was carrying his brother's empty shell. It gave him the creeps and reminded him of Dean dying, even if he was busy zipping around the room like an idiot at the moment.

Sam folded his arms, not amused by his brother's antics. "Hurry back, Dean. If you're not back in an hour, I'm coming after you."

Dean floated right up to Sam's face and shocked him on the nose.

"You ass!" Sam grabbed his stinging face. Dean was back wrapped around Sam's shoulders, so he reached out with his powers and flung Dean off of him and across the room. "Enough screwing around, just please be safe and come back."

Dean floated toward the front door but didn't leave yet.

 _Relax, bitch._  Dean's voice suddenly echoed in Sam's head.  _I'll be fine._

"Wait, we can talk that way?" Sam gasped, and then decided to try it out for himself. He focused on sending out specific thoughts to Dean.  _Even when you're in that form? Can you hear me?_

 _Yes. See, we can stay in contact while I'm gone._ Dean's smoke-cloud did a sort of backflip and vanished through the crack in the door.  _Later Sammy._

Sam sighed as Dean left the house. He felt better knowing he'd be able to be in contact with Dean, a lot better. But he also knew that Dean could choose to ignore him at any time and could go ahead and get Ellen and Car by himself.

If Dean even cared about that. Which he probably didn't. He most likely wanted to simply find out more information by spying on the demons, to figure out what was going on. To him, that was more important and it wasn't like Sam could blame him. But Dean also knew how important finding Ellen and Carl was to Sam, so that's why he had agreed to come out here in the first place.

Whatever happened, Sam just wanted Dean to be smart and stay safe. Alastair was out to get him, for whatever reason, and he wasn't going to give up.

Maybe going out to find their friends was a bad idea on Sam's part. If something happened to Dean...he'd never forgive himself.

With the start of a headache coming on, he walked away from Dean's body and back into the bedroom. Sam sat on the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands. He was already worried sick.

_You okay, Dean?_

_Shut your damn mouth._

Well that wasn't going to happen. Dean was going to have to get used to Sam checking in every five minutes.

And if he wasn't back when he said, or if Sam sensed any bit of trouble, he was going right after his brother.


	16. Chapter 16

Dean was getting bored following these two idiotic demons. First of all, they kept stopping to argue. One would start kicking things again or throwing debris at the windows of buildings just to laugh when they shattered. The other one would throw a fit and Dean swore they were about to get into a demonic fistfight if it weren't for the few Croats that had appeared.

The ones that did were also mutated. The demons grumbled about it a bit, but didn't reveal any more interesting information.

What was going on? How were these Croats transforming? Why did you have to cut off their heads when shooting them in the brain worked before? Were they evolving or had the demons come up with something that caused them to mutate, and the mutation spread to the other ones?

And since they were more difficult to kill, it meant more danger for Sammy. He couldn't get infected, but the Croats could still easily kill him. Or what if Sam wasn't immune to them anymore with this new mutation?

What if the mutation didn't only make them harder to kill, but gave them other abilities or strengths too? They did seem to be faster than the average Croat.

Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

 _Hey, Dean._  It was Sam checking in yet again. If Dean had a body right now he would have sighed. He wanted to stay in contact with Sam, of course. But Sam was being real panicky and nervous. Dean was sure it had something to do with his outburst the other day. Would Sam ever believe that he was okay again? Could Dean himself ever trust himself not to flip out like that?

No, he couldn't. Especially with how he'd been thinking lately. But he couldn't worry about that right now. At the moment, he was fine. Sam had to realize that and chill out.

 _Ever gonna stop bugging me?_  Dean sent his thought waves out to his brother. It was a good thing it was so easy to control what he wanted to send out to Sam. He didn't even want to imagine Sam being able to hear all his internal thoughts or the kid would flip his shit.

Although, when Sam had been trying to get through to him, he had unintentionally communicated through the telepathy twice already. Maybe when they were really desperate to get through to each other, they were able to use the telepathy unknowingly. Dean figured it was like talking. You said what you wanted to, but sometimes you blurted out thoughts without realizing when you were really emotional or in distress.

 _Stop being an asshole. Is everything okay?_ Sam seemed worried still. Of course.

Dean had been keeping close to the buildings, sometimes hiding in the gutters or in dumpsters. But there had been no real danger so far.

_It's boring. These morons are the stupidest demons I've ever seen. If all of Alastair's minions are like this, we don't have anything to worry about._

_They won't be. He probably knows they're practically useless and sends them on fake missions just so they don't screw anything else up._

Dean floated a little bit forward, annoyed by the demons' slow pace.  _If you keep bugging me, I won't be focused in what's going on, and they could see me._

 _Wow, I'm glad you appreciate me checking in on you._  Sam sounded hurt and Dean couldn't take that. Not only did he not like seeing his brother upset, but also if he didn't act nice, Sam WOULD come after him.

_You know I'm just messing with you, whiny bitch. But I do have to concentrate._

Which was exactly what Dean hadn't been doing. A quiet noise echoed through the streets, a sound that would have gone unheard if the city wasn't deserted. Dean shut his connection off from Sam, needing his attention focused on exactly what was going on.

He noticed that the demons stopped walking and began to snicker, ducking behind a dumpster. Dean was confused for a moment before he recognized the sound as another set of footsteps. He hid along the side of a building, behind a bulletin board and decided to watch whatever was about to go down.

A man came walking down the road, looking around warningly. Well, this wasn't gonna end up well for him. Dean doubted the demons would heckle him a bit and make some snide comment before moving on. That was what he would do, but obviously, all other demons had a different idea of fun.

The man walked over to what had once been a convince store on the corner, and one of the demons slowly sauntered over towards him. The other lay on the ground, acting as if he were in pain.

What the hell were they doing?

"Hey, sir!" the demon that had been approaching the man called out.

The man jumped and turned around, pointing a gun nervously at the demon.

The demon put on a good act, seeming desperate and frightened. "I don't want any trouble! My friend got hurt; I think he sprained his ankle. We were wondering if you had any supplies we could use."

The man looked over and saw the one demon who was feigning pain, moaning on the ground and clutching at his leg. "I'm sorry, I've only got enough supplies to keep my family satisfied. I'm sure you'll be able to find something."

"Oh, you've got a family still?" The demon asked. The one on the ground began to snicker. "Well, it's too bad you won't be able to ever see them again."

Dean could tell by the look on the man's face, that he had just witnessed both demons' eyes go black. He started to run, obviously being a smart human and knowing the gun wouldn't do him any good.

It wasn't like it was any use anyway. The demons teleported around him and pinned him to the side of the building.

"We're going to tell you this once," one of them sneered. "You join us, help us out and we'll make sure your family has enough amenities to live happily ever after. They'll live until they're old and gray. You refuse, and we will kill them while you watch, and then chop off your head. Got it?"

"You don't know where my family is, liars! Just kill me now!"

"No, we don't," the other demon admitted. "But all we have to do is possess you, get all up in your noggin, and we'll find out in no time. How'd you like to watch your children get eaten alive by Croats?"

The man's features crumbled. "Don't you touch them!"

"Then join us. You won't have to do much. Just follow our rules and do as we say. You'll have a nice luxurious life. We are the new rulers of the world. Your family will be sent packages of food and water. Maybe one day, they'll get to join you."

Ohh. So this was what the demons had been doing. Maybe these two weren't as dense as Dean had originally assumed. They were finding vulnerable people; searching out ones who still had something to lose and making them join the demons. These people wouldn't dare refuse, or their families would be tortured and killed. They were going to be used against their will as spies, because they essentially had no other choice.

Dean could appreciate the plan. He was a demon, after all. It was smart. They were trying to turn all the remaining humans to their side in an attempt to truly control everything. It was also a way for the demons to use these people to find out info about him and Sam.

Except now Dean knew exactly what was going on. But still...they could never be sure who was a spy or not? This just meant that they could trust no one.

Dean continued to watch the confrontation with a sense of disconnect. He didn't particularly care what was happening to the man. He never felt any need to go down and save him, but if Sam had been with him, Dean may have attempted just to please his brother. There was nothing Dean could do anyway. He couldn't attack demons in this form, and even if he possessed the man, he didn't have a weapon on him to kill them with.

Even though he felt nothing as he watched the man break down, no sense of sadness for the position he was in, or worry for the man's family, Dean still knew he would never do what these demons were doing. When he said he didn't care, he also didn't care for doing stuff like that himself. It gave him no pleasure to watch some ordinary guy suffer like that. Now, if it were some nasty piece of shit, that would be another story...

Dean had been zoned out for a bit that he didn't realize when the demons began dragging the man away. He must have agreed to the their bargain due to any chance to protect his family. As Dean began following them once more, he realized with a sudden panic that he didn't notice the sensation of Sam trying to contact him anymore.

* * *

Sam was pissed. Not only was Dean being an asshole every time he got in touch with him, but he had now shut him out! Every time Sam tried sending his thoughts out to Dean, he had this sensation in his head which felt like his thought waves were hitting a brick wall. They weren't going anywhere...Dean had closed his mind off to Sam. Had he really been annoying his brother that badly? What an asshole!

But as Sam calmed down, he began to realize Dean wouldn't do that. Dean had been saying sarcastic and annoying things to him, but he hadn't really been pissed off with Sam. He would never break contact like that unless there was something going on.

Which led him going from pissed, to worried. What if Dean was in trouble? But if Dean were in real trouble, wouldn't he let Sam know? Or maybe he was in trouble and didn't want to let Sam know, so he wouldn't come out to rescue him?

Sam sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache. He tried reaching out to Dean a few more times, only to get the same result. If he kept at it like this, he would wear himself out, and then he'd never be able to talk to Dean. He couldn't risk getting mentally exhausted. He'd wait five to ten minutes, and hope Dean contacted him. If not, he'd try again.

And if he heard nothing in a half an hour, he was going out there.

Trying to find something to busy himself with, Sam dug out one of the blood mixture water bottles Dean made for him. He drank it, realizing that he most likely wasn't going to bed, and so this would be his drink for the day. Plus, maybe it would help him contact Dean easier.

After he was done, he found himself staring at Dean's body he had propped on the couch. He felt another sharp pang of worry, and...he just missed his brother. He needed Dean to come back, or at least get in contact with him. He hated not knowing where his brother was or what was happening to him.

What he could do while he waited, was change Dean's body out of the bloody shirt he was wearing. Stupid jerk hadn't even bothered to change it before he went to bed, even though they always carried another pair or two of clothes on them when they traveled, just in case.

It was awkward as he maneuvered Dean's limp and heavy arms out of the destroyed over shirt and t-shirt. The blood still smelled even though it was dry. Sam crumpled both of them up and threw them on the ground.

He flinched when he saw the scar from the wound Dean had on his arm, the one from the demon blade. He sometimes forgot about it and should remind Dean to take it easy in that arm more often.

Not caring if he was wasting some of their water, Sam grabbed one of the water bottles and dumped some on a washcloth he found in the bathroom. He started cleaning the blood from Dean's stomach, all the while silently cursing at how Dean didn't even have to work out or bother to get abs and be super strong. Sam himself was struggling to get to his normal muscle mass that he had lost that year Dean was in hell. He never imagined in would be this difficult. But at least he was at a healthy weight and strong. Dean made sure he was still well fed in this new world.

Dean…or Dean's body….still smelled like metallic blood, even with it rinsed off, so Sam grabbed one of the boxes of soap Dean found in the bathroom and threw in his duffle earlier. He used it to finish cleaning his brother's stomach and chest and then struggled to get Dean's limp body into one of his black t shirts. Dean's head fell to one side, his torso leaned forward into Sam.

"Well, this is awkward. At least you're not stinking and rotting yet." Sam pushed Dean's body back toward the couch and shoved his arms through the sleeves. He pushed the fabric over Dean's stomach; internally grumbling over the fact that Dean didn't have to work out or get muscular and was able to be strong as hell.

It may be strange, but the thing that was unnerving him the most about his brother's body, were the green eyes that were halfway opened. It wasn't even that they were completely empty and devoid of any life, but that they were  _human_. Sam had become so accustomed to Dean's black eyes. They were a part of him, symbolized who he was. The human eyes just served as a reminder that this wasn't Dean, that his brother was gone...possibly missing.

Sam reached over and closed the eyelids over those green eyes, shuddering as he did so.

What to do now? Had it been ten minutes? Should he try and contact Dean? Should he just...

_Sammy!_

Dean's panicked voice suddenly filled Sam's mind and he jumped. Relief, anger and worry all flowed through him at once.

"Dean! What the hell happened?" Sam was so worked up and desperate to talk to Dean, that it took him a moment to realize he had spoken out loud rather than communicated telepathically. He took a deep breath and concentrated.

_Dean, you had me worried sick! Are you okay?_

_I'm fine, you worrywart. Something was happening and I had to tune you out to focus._

_Something was happening? Are you fucking serious? You couldn't warn me before you shut me out? I didn't know what to think, Dean! I thought you were in trouble! I was sick with worry!_

_Okay. okay! Chill out. I'm sorry, alright! I saw something happening and I just thought I'd tune you out for a second, and I forgot to check in. This is new to me too, you know?_

Sam wanted to stay angry with his brother, and truth was, he still was upset. But he decided to drop it for now. All that mattered was that Dean was okay.

_So what happened? Nothing happened to you, did it?_

_I'm fine. I saw the demons start acting strange. They ganged up on some man, threatened his family in exchange for working for them as a spy. They're dragging him away right now._

_Wait, so that's how they're doing this? He gave in? He's going to actually work for them?_ The human spies weren't just a rumor. It was a real thing.

_They said they'd make him watch his family get eaten alive by Croats. What other choice did he have?_

Sam pictured being a regular civilian with no hunting skills or knowledge to defeat demons. He imagined them threatening Dean's life. He'd give in a heartbeat, if it meant keeping his brother alive and safe.

_So they're not as stupid as we thought._

_No, they're still morons, but they are actually dangerous. Who knows what these demons are making people do. We gotta be really careful. No more bringing people back to rescue. Anyone could be working for 'em._

Of course Sam wanted to help people still, but he knew Dean was right. Sam wasn't going to risk bringing someone to their group when they might be someone working for Alastair to take Dean away from him.

_I agree. Are you coming back soon?_

_I'm gonna wait until they take him wherever they're taking him. It's probably where they have Ellen and Carl. Once they do, I'll head right back._

_You better Dean._

_I swear! When have I lied to you?_ Sam could imagine Dean rolling his eyes right now, if he was in his body, that was.

 _Just_... _don't you dare do anything like that again, okay? You let me know what's going on at all time. You'd_  expect _the same from me._

_Alright, alright. Stay safe, Sammy._

_You too, Dean._

* * *

Dean hoped these demons hurried up and got where they needed to go with the man. He guessed they kept their spies or slaves, whatever you wanted to call them, all in the same location. But why were they keeping Ellen and Carl? Did they give in to the demons and say they would work for them because they threatened the people back at the hotel? Why didn't the demons just possess the two and find out where they were staying. That way they could capture Dean sooner.

Either way, the demons didn't know Ellen and Carl were part of their group, or they already knew where the brothers were situated and were simply waiting for something. But what were they waiting for? Crowley said Alastair was waiting for the right time, but what was he up to? What was his game plan and why did the demon want him so bad?

Deep down, Dean figured he knew. Or least had a good idea. Dean was the one demon Alastair had failed at turning into the perfect soldier. The only time he didn't succeed in completely breaking a soul in hell. Alastair was pissed. Demons didn't like failure, Dean would know. And talk was bound to be going around about Alastair's failure. The demons knew and maybe that was causing him some trouble.

So Alastair didn't want to kill him, but break him. That thought scared Dean worse than death. Not that he thought Alastair would ever be able to break him, there was no chance in hell, but the thought of getting tortured again and what lengths the vile demon would go to get his way were bound to be horrifying.

Dean focused back down at the demons. If they didn't get to where they were going soon, he'd have to turn around. He took Sam for his word when he said he would come out to get him if he wasn't back in an hour. Dean guessed it was getting close to that.

 _Hey, did they stop yet?_  Sam asked, his voice filling Dean's…soul? Did he have a mind in this form? Of course he did, but it wasn't in the typical sense. He could think and see and hear and smell. But he didn't have a body. Pretty awesome.

_Not yet. Just let me stay out longer. I'll let you know everything that's going on so you don't have to worry._

_They're all out to get you Dean! Of course I'm going to worry! If you're not back in 15 minutes…._

Dean noticed the demons step over to a big apartment building.  _Hold on a second, Sammy._

He swore he could almost feel his little brother's panic. Dean watched them knock out the man and punch in a code in a number pad near the front door. The doors opened and another demon greeted them. They vanished inside.

 _They took him inside an apartment building_ , Dean told his brother

_Really? So they aren't at the library like we thought._

_Nope, well the humans they're keeping aren't. Who knows what's going on at the library. It's a good thing I decided to do this and we didn't head over there._

_Yeah, yeah. Now hurry back so we can get over there together and think of a plan._

Dean wished so badly he could just go in himself and see what was happening. But he needed Sam as backup, at least to keep watch. No way in hell he was entering that building right now.

Or better yet, they could just forget about the two humans trapped there. But there was no way that would go over with Sam.

And most importantly, he told his brother he would never lie to him, ever, and Dean was dead set on keeping that promise.

_Alright, don't shoot yourself, I'm coming._

* * *

Sam was relieved when Dean zipped back a few moments later. He finally felt like he could breathe properly again.

"I cleaned your bloody body while you were gone, asshole."

Dean responded by floating right through Sam's body, shocking him along the way. It was extremely uncomfortable and felt from his head to his toes. Not exactly painful, but bordering on it. The typical thing a big brother would do.

Sam was about to bitch until Dean floated over his shoulders and Sam felt a sense of calmness that he always did when he was in contact with Dean's soul...when he wasn't busy zapping him. Funny how Dean was so much more comfortable with giving Sam physical contact while NOT in his body. Oh well, Sam would take what he could get.

"Alright," Sam said after a minute. "I'll get you back in your body so we can discuss."

Sam put Dean's soul back in within a few seconds. Dean stretched immediately upon entering; opening his eyes to reveal the blackness that Sam was so used to. It put him back at ease.

"Why do I smell like lavender?" Dean sniffed, scrunching his nose in disgust.

"I told you, I cleaned you up. You stunk like blood so I used the soap you took from the bathroom."

"Of course it'd be girly soap," Dean grumbled. "I smell like you."

"So…," Sam said. "What's the situation look like?"

Dean sighed, rubbing at his forehead. Sam wondered if it took some time to get used to being reacquainted with his body. He couldn't imagine that it was an easy transition.

"Well, it's an apartment building. One of those big city ones. Like, ten floors? I'm guessing they house their humans there. The demons entered a code on a number pad to enter. Couldn't see what it was. Another demon opened the door for them."

Sam thought about this. They obviously had power. Not that the information would help them in any way. "So it's pretty well guarded?"

"Of course it is. Probably so the people don't escape rather than the fear of anyone coming in."

"What's around the area? Are the buildings nearby occupied by demons too?"

Dean shrugged. "I didn't notice anything. I think I would have felt it if there were. There's other apartments next to it that looked pretty trashed. A few restaurants and other stores and such across the street. There's a middle school kiddie corner to the building."

The middle school was something that piqued Sam's interest. "We can hide out in the school while we make out a plan. We can view the apartment from there and there would enough rooms to hide in if the demons show up."

Dean nodded. "We just have to hope it's Croat-free, or at least there's not a ton of them in there so we can quietly kill them off."

Sam didn't like the idea of having to behead things that looked like children...but the thing was...they weren't kids. Not anymore. Yet, their souls were still stuck inside. And if they killed the Croats, the trapped human soul would go to Hell...

"Dean...if there's kids in there...their souls..."

"Will go to the pit? Yeah, they will. But what can we do? Get eaten by them? I don't even know what Hell can do with children's souls. I don't remember seeing any down there."

"Do you think the kids would turn into demons? That they'd get tortured?" Sam asked in horror.

Even Dean looked disgusted. "I don't know. I don't want to think about it. Anyway, I doubt we'll have to worry about killing Croat-kids. Schools weren't operating when the virus got bad. It's not like kids turned there. Everyone was home or trying to escape."

Dean had a good point. Sam wasn't sure what he'd been thinking and he tried to relax a bit. Hopefully, everything would turn out okay and they could get back to the hotel safely.

They got their stuff packed up so they would be ready to leave at daybreak. Sam was just double-checking his duffle when Dean spoke up.

"Thanks." It was extremely muffled and barely understandable. When Sam turned around, Dean wasn't even looking his way, just digging through his bag aimlessly, pretending to be occupied.

Normally, Sam would have just smiled at him if Dean was looking his way, or say 'no problem' since Dean didn't like big displays of affection. But he had absolutely no idea what his brother was talking about and he was curious to know. He knew if he'd ask, Dean would tell him, probably in a frustrated tone, but he'd let him know nonetheless. It was something that was different now that Dean was a demon, something that made life easier for the both of them.

"Well, I appreciate you thanking me for once, but I have no clue what you're referring to."

Just as Sam suspected, Dean turned around, all flustered and face irritated. "For stinkin' me up like a girl." He grunted and gestured toward his stomach and chest.

Sam understood the comment for what is was worth. This was Dean's way of telling him he thanked him for cleaning him up of all the blood and ripped shirt. He tried hard not to think about how Dean had no one to look after him or help him with anything all those years in Hell. His brother wasn't used to anyone else caring but Sam was happy he could show him that HE did, and always would.

Sam decided to smirk in response. "Only did it because you'd be attracting the Croats smelling like you did. Now they'll mistake you for flowers and not bother us."

He couldn't help but laugh at the middle finger Dean flipped up.

* * *

"Dean, wait." Sam grabbed his brother's sleeve and pulled him down an alley after deciding it was safe. They were rounding up on the middle school, but Sam didn't want to walk down the street in clear view of the apartment where the demons could see them.

"What? A Croat? I didn't hear anything." Dean peered around the corner. They'd been lucky so far, only seeing a few of them in the distance. Sam joked with his brother that his flowery scent had worked.

"No. I don't think we should get any closer."

"I was just going to go a little further, and then teleport us inside. I can't from this distance."

"But the demons could see us. If we go down this side street, it will lead to another one, and it rounds up on the school from the back. I don't think you should teleport either because we could end up right next to some Croats or something. We don't know what's in there. We'll just go through a window or something."

Dean huffed, crossing his arms. Sam could tell he realized that teleporting into a building they weren't sure was safe wasn't a good idea. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I had you look over the maps then, geek. Okay, let's get going."

They saw nothing of interest down the side streets. Once they came up to the school, Dean glanced in one of the windows. Most of them on the building remained intact. Who wanted to steal school supplies anyway?

"Okay, this classroom looks safe. I'll just teleport us in here." He grabbed Sam's arm and the two of them were inside in a fraction of a second.

Sam couldn't help but glance around at all the desks that had once been occupied by dozens of students. The books that were being studied from one day and then abandoned the next. He thought back to his time at Stanford. Had anything survived back there? Did people in the university stay and try to form a safe heaven? Or did they all return home to their families and the school was simply a deserted wasteland full of Croats?

"You okay?" Dean was standing over by the chalkboard, but staring at his younger brother in concern.

"Yeah...I'm fine." Sam swallowed past the lump is his throat when he saw that there were math problems still written on the board. The teacher never bothered to erase them. Did the class have to leave in the middle of a lesson? Did the city declare the emergency during the day? Or did demons attack?

Sam blinked back tears at the thought of all those kids dying and noticed that Dean was busy scribbling something with a piece of chalk, the drawing utensil making a sickening squeaking sound across the board.

"Dude, stop," Sam managed to choke out, walking closer to his brother.

"I can't help it! Doesn't this stuff always make that noise half the time?"

"You're supposed to break it when dealing with a new piece of chalk. Then it won't."

"Really?" Dean broke the piece in half and then continued scribbling away, this time silently. "Neat."

"We should be planning and on lookout toward the apartments, not drawing." Sam sighed, but curiosity got the better of him. "What are you..." He rolled his eyes as he saw Dean's creations.

He had drawn two stick figures. One had spiky hair and demon horns and a devil tail. Next to it was a poorly drawn piece of pie with a heart around it. The other figure had moose antlers and girly hair with its hands on its hips.

"You better not take up Crowley's nickname for me...or I swear to God Dean..."

"Chill, I needed something distinctive to say that it's you."

"Thank you," Sam hissed. "At least it's better than nasty demon horns and tail."

Dean's expression suddenly darkened and he shrugged. "Whatever. Could be a lot worse." He dropped the piece of chalk on the ground and started to walk out the door.

Sam was perplexed as he followed Dean. "Hey!" He grabbed his brother's arm and tugged at him. "Don't go acting all angry for no reason. What, are you offended by my insults of your drawing skills?"

"Yes Sam, that's exactly what's wrong." Dean pulled his arm away.

"Tell me because I'm not going to drop it and you know it."

Dean sighed, and looked Sam in the eyes. "Glad to know you're disgusted by how I really look. Knew it was all an act back when the angel showed you my soul."

Sam cocked his head to the side. "What are you talking about? You knew I wasn't disgusted. I accept you Dean, and I don't care what your soul looks like."

"The demon horns and tail are nasty though?"

Sam thought back to when he saw Dean's soul, and what it had appeared as. "I don't remember seeing that..."

Dean looked down at the ground. "I was sitting, so that's why you didn't see the demon tail. And the horns...they're small so maybe you just missed it because of how my singed hair was...or you were too distracted looking at all the other abnormalities."

Sam opened and closed his mouth. Shit, he had unintentionally hurt his brother, and at a time when Dean seemed more on edge and fragile than normal. Did Dean really think that having some other demonic additions to his soul would scare him away? "Dean...it was just a joke man. I don't care if you have those, you  _are_  a demon anyway, isn't it expected? It would probably look kinda cool anyway."

"It's a million times better than what every other demon looks like. Complete hellish creatures. I was just at the beginning of the transformation." Dean looked back up, as if searching for any sign that Sam may be lying.

"I know that, man. They would never be able to do that to you. You're stronger than that. And..." Ah hell with it, he was gonna say it, Dean would have to deal. "...I'm so damn proud of you for that."

Dean scrunched up his face; he flushed and then grunting, turning around, walking down the hallway. Alright then. At least Sam got his point across.

"What side of the building has the best view of the apartments?" Dean asked. His lighthearted mood was gone, but he didn't seem pissed anymore. Sam took that as a good sign, a sign that Dean trusted him.

"Northeast," Sam told him. We should turn right here...okay...now..." Sam stopped and covered his mouth as a revolting smell hit his nostrils. "What the hell..." he squinted at the figure that lay a hundred feet ahead of them.

Dean pulled out his gun for precaution, but casually sauntered forward, seemingly unaffected by the smell. He approached the...thing...and kicked it several times. Sam nearly retched, and Dean teleported himself backwards several feet, as maggots pored out of the body.

"What was it?!" Sam called out, still covering his mouth.

Dean was back at his side as he materialized away from the body. "Just a human...or  _was_...it's severely decayed. Looks like it was a man because from what I could make out, there was a beard."

"Do you think there's more? Was he a teacher?"

Dean shook his head. "Sammy…it started in May. Some schools made it to summer vacation and just never returned. But it looks like this one…the virus was bad in cities. It looks like this one decided to randomly close early. We haven't seen any Croats in here. Everyone left this place when the staff told the kids to go home and never looked back. This was probably a homeless man, or someone alone and desperate for protection."

Dean was right. They had been so busy those first few moths in trying to make Bobby's place a safe place to stay and collecting supplies, that Sam didn't really notice what was going on with society. Not much had been different those first weeks when they had raided stores for supplies, Sam on lookout and Dean stealing as much as he could. Had it shut down little by little? Or suddenly collapsed all at once? Probably both, depending on the location. People in smaller cities had more time, it had taken longer for the virus to reach them, and the demons probably didn't bother to attack such remote places. Maybe there were still towns out there, surviving together as a community. It gave Sam some hope.

He shook his head, maybe they could find out later, search for towns. Sam glanced back over toward the body. "Maybe he was injured and died here?"

"Or starved." Dean shrugged. "All I know is he wasn't eaten by Croats."

"What do we do with it?"

"I'll teleport us to the other side because even I don't want to step on nasty maggots. A dead body, sure. But maggots...no thank you." Dean shuddered and once again Sam wondered just what kind of torture had been afflicted on Dean in Hell. "We can't dump it in case it attracts Croats and alerts the demons."

Dean grabbed Sam's arm and they appeared on the other side of the hallway. Sam cleared his throat and took in his surroundings. "Looks like we should be about there. Let's find a classroom that has a good view."

A few classrooms and a teacher's lounge worked as good lookouts. The lounge had couches, but it reeked another rancid stench from whatever had been left in the fridge, and Dean pointed out the cockroaches roaming about. They closed the door as if it would stop the stink, and chose a sixth grade classroom.

"Since there are dead bodies..." Sam mentioned. "like the one you saw...and they can't get into heaven...then where are their ghosts? Wouldn't you be able to see them?"

"Yeah, but the ghosts are hiding, remember? They wouldn't be so close to a demon base. Probably left the city as well, since there's nothing binding them to any place anymore. Or, the demons found them first and brought them to hell."

"So everyone is screwed unless you stay alive. Even then, we all die..."

Dean waved a hand through the air. "Nah, we kill Alastair, and Crowley won't want this mess. He'll sort things out a bit. He won't care about collecting ghosts and may even release some souls that get on his nerves. It's heaven that needs to open back up and is causing a problem."

"Do you think Castiel will be able to do something about that?" Sam asked.

"Hopefully. Because  _I'm_  for sure not dealing with those douche angels. We've got enough on our plates already. We actually should have brought that angel along, could have helped kill some demons with that magical knife of his."

"The guy has been fighting demons for months, Dean. He's been struggling and adapting to not having as many powers. I'm sure he's exhausted. He's deserved a break."

"And we don't? Why do we always have to rescue people from the trouble they get into because they weren't paying attention or weren't strong enough? It's not our problem."

Sam sighed. "You didn't have to come, Dean."

"And leave you alone to get killed? That sounds just like me." Dean hissed. "You know I don't like putting you in situations that could put you in danger if it's not necessary. And this isn't necessary. That place is going to be crawling with demons."

"You know I had to do this though Dean."

"I know. That's why I'm doing it, because you need to, for whatever reason."

Sam wasn't sure how to explain the need to rescue these people he considered friends. "Think about it like how you rescued Bobby from the fire. It wasn't like you needed to save him like you would me, but it was still important that you did."

"I saved Bobby because I'd rather he was alive," Dean admitted. "Not that I needed him to be alive."

"Well, that's how I feel about Ellen and Carl. I like them and I want to save them. I do understand though that you need more of a real bond with someone to feel that way."

"No one comes anywhere close to you Sammy," Dean huffed. Sam knew that Bobby was a distant second, and even then, no one was even near him. Dean would save those people at the hotel given the situation, like the fire. But he wouldn't go out of his way or put Sam in danger to do so.

Sam sighed and moved away a portion of the blinds to have a good view on the apartment and the situation they would be getting into. He expected Dean to join him on lookout, but after a few minutes, Dean still hadn't come over. Sam looked over his shoulder to see his brother kicked back at the teacher's desk, sprawled out in the chair with his feet up. He was reading a sheet of paper.

"Dean! Are you gonna help or what?"

"Huh? I thought we were taking turns. Hey. Check this out." Dean cleared his throat and began reading in a child-like voice. "This summer I'm going to Disney World. My dad is going to get a camper too and we're going to camp near the mountains." Dean chuckled. "Well, little did they know."

Sam couldn't see how Dean could sit there and read a dead child's story so carelessly and find humor in it. Yes, he was a demon and it was understandable. But Sam couldn't relate and wished that Dean would just keep his remarks to himself.

"Dean, will you stop?"

"What? It's kinda funny."

"No. It's not. A child wrote that. They weren't even a teenager yet. A child that's dead and probably in Hell having who knows what happen to them."

Dean shrugged. "Hopefully he died right away and didn't turn into a Croat. Heaven took a few months before it closed, according to angel-boy."

Sam sighed. "Can we just not talk about it, please?"

Dean threw the papers back on the desk with an irritated growl-type noise. "Fine, you prissy little thing." He made no effort to get up and join Sam in lookout.

The younger brother sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Sam hoped that he was right when he told Dean that the side entrance would be safe. It was the least guarded from what he could tell, and they were able to take out the few demons standing nearby. But that didn't mean the rest of the area down the hall was safe.

Truth was, no matter how well they had been on lookout, there was no way of telling the danger that was inside. Had Sam been fooling himself in thinking that they could save their friends?

Still, he didn't sense any demons. So maybe they would be okay.

They came to a corner and as Dean peered around it into the new hallway, something tugged him down to the ground with inhuman force. He looked up into the face of a snarling man...with pointed teeth and feral eyes...a werewolf?

Oh god. It was the crazy monsters. Sam hadn't even imagined they'd be in here. They...they were working with the demons? Or were the demons controlling them?

Sam wrestled with the werewolf, noticing that Dean was busy fighting one as well. Dean wouldn't be able to use the colt, not if they wanted the entire building to hear the gunshot.

Sam reached out with the demon knife, thinking he had the perfect aim. He wasn't expecting the werewolf to grab the knife and rip it from his grasp. In what was only a few moments, the thing turned around and walked up to his brother who had just knocked out the other monster.

Before Sam could even stand up, the werewolf plunged the knife into Dean's stomach just as the demon turned around.

Sam's entire world shattered as he screamed helplessly, watching the life drain from the brother he loved with all his heart. The brother that he had gotten killed because Sam dragged Dean along here with him despite the demon's protests. He saw his brother look at him one last time with the most broken expression on his face before his very soul exploded, the black faded from his eyes, and his empty body dropped to the ground.

* * *

Dean glanced over as his brother shifted restlessly in his sleep. He had found a couch in the nurse's office and brought it down for them to sit on while they kept lookout. Sam had eventually dosed off, and Dean had moved him until his large body was mostly lying on the furniture in a somewhat comfortable position.

Sam would give him a fit for letting him fall asleep, but too bad. They had woken up at three in the morning and hadn't slept since. The kid needed his rest. Even Dean wanted to sleep. Technically, he didn't really need it. He could fight past the exhaustion that his human body wanted to give in to and work on the powers within himself so he didn't need the sleep, just like the older demons did. But that would be exhausting. There was no point in learning that when he didn't need to. Besides, he loved sleep, just like he loved food.

He should be keeping lookout right now, but Dean didn't find it in himself to care. Sam already said that the side entrance seemed the least guarded. That's where they would go in. Too many demons were entering the front and the only ones that came in through the side were few and far between. They'd enter tonight, when the demons tended to prowl the streets. Maybe the building would be emptier. But there was no saying what the hell would wait for them once in the building.

This was going to be putting Sam in far too much possible danger for nothing other than saving some stupid people. But he had already tried to talk his brother out of it to no avail. And if he did make Sam leave, the kid would be even more depressed than he had been lately. And when Sam was feeling upset, Dean was on edge and bitter, didn't that make for a winning combination?

He was busy shuffling through the drawers in the teacher's desk, looking for any supplies they could use, when Sam started to mumble. He didn't think much of it, other than sparing Sam a glance. Probably just a dream.

It was when Sam began to scream his name that Dean bolted over to his brother's side. Sam's face was pained in sleep and sweat was dripping down his forehead. Dean began to shake him awake, probably with too much force, but he was worried, damnit.

"Sammy! Wake the hell up!"

It was at the sound of Dean's voice that Sam's eyes shot open. He stared at his brother as if he couldn't believe what was right in front of him. For a moment, Dean thought Sam had magically become afflicted with amnesia and had forgotten that he was a demon.

But then, relief filled Sam's eyes and he reached over and grabbed Dean into a tight hug. Dean was about to make some sort of snarky comment, but then he felt Sam shaking, and even crying. So he simply hugged his brother back gently and let Sam get whatever the hell this was, out of his system.

"We're not going in that apartment building," Sam stated sternly, still not letting go of Dean.

While Dean was more than pleased with that, he still had to ask. He'd be a bad brother if he didn't. "What's with the sudden change? I thought nothing could stop you from saving them…"

"You die in there, Dean." Sam pulled away and looked Dean directly in the eyes. The look on his face was completely serious and nothing short of terrified. Something really bad must have Sam believing this.

"What? You had a nightmare?" Dean shrugged. "Don't get your panties in a twist. You know nothing's gonna kill me."

"It wasn't a nightmare Dean. I know the difference." Sam swallowed, looking away. "My visions are back."

Well, shit.

* * *

_Thank you for your continued support. I'd appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on this chapter. I love hearing them._


	17. Chapter 17

"Sammy, relax!" Dean ordered his brother, not sure what to do with the new information he had just been given.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Sam gaped at him, his eyes angry. "Relax?! I just told you my visions are back and that you're _going to die_ and you tell me to relax? What the hell Dean!"

"Yes, damnit! I need you to chill the hell out and relax so you can tell me everything without freaking out." Dean glared right back at his brother. "That way we can figure out what to do calmly and together."

"I'm sorry if I can't be calm after I just saw you die in front of my face! If you die, there's no more resurrections, in any form. You're fucking gone, Dean. For good. Forever."

Dean put his hands in the air, and backed up.  Sam rarely swore like that and Dean wasn't sure what the hell he was supposed to do to make him chill out. Seeing his younger brother like this put Dean on edge even more than usual. He threw his arms down in frustration, unintentionally causing a desk to topple over.

The sudden noise and use of Dean's powers had Sam looking up, startled.

"I want to help you Sam," Dean spoke sternly. "But I'm a demon, and there's only so much of this frustration I can take before I get so damn overwhelmed...."

Sam's face instantly changed from the panic and anger that had been present since he woke up, to worry. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm just freaked out, Dean."

Dean took a deep breath. At least Sam was back to his normal self. He could deal with the rest. They'd figure this shit out. There was no need to stress....

"Dean, you okay?"

Opening his eyes, Dean nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Now you're sure this was a vision and not some dream?"

"I know what they feel like Dean. This wasn't just a nightmare."

"Okay. Now tell me exactly what happened." Dean sat down on the top of a desk and stared at his brother.

"We went in the side entrance like I wanted to." Sam actually shuddered as he spoke. "We got attacked by a few werewolves."

"Werewolves? In a demon controlled building?" What the hell?

"Yes. And they overpowered me, took Ruby's knife, and stabbed and killed you!"

"Sammy..."

Sam took a few steps until he was directly in front of his brother, his eyes wild. He grabbed Dean's shoulders and shook them. "I watched your SOUL die!"

Dean had to think quick before Sam spazzed out again. "Okay, we won't go in alright? I believe you. I can't die if we're not in there to make it happen." There was no way Sam had simply dreamt this. Sam had a nightmare Dean had gone white-eyed-evil before and was able to shake it off in seconds. This was completely different. His visions really were back.

Sam walked away from Dean and sat back down on the couch, still shaking. After a few moments, Dean sighed and sat down next to his brother, shoving at him. "Stop freaking out. I'm fine. I'm alive...well, kinda. Would you consider this undead?"

Sam glared at him. "I consider anything with a functioning soul alive. The Croats...those are undead, even though they have human souls trapped in them."

Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's dull sounding voice. "Okay. Then since I'm still kickin', and we're not going into the death trap building, what's gotten you so worked up?"

"The...the visions...why are they back?" Sam turned to face him, scared puppy-dog eyes in full affect. Shit. "I had them when Yellow Eyes was around...he died and they stopped...so why now?"

"Well, you are drinking my blood. You're using your powers more often, so it kinda makes sense the visions would kick back in." He didn't like that Sam was scared. But honestly, he wasn't just saying this for Sam's sake. Dean didn't think there was anything to worry about.

"You think that's really it?"

"Well, yeah. You're developing your other powers, not just the demon-extracting ones. And these are all kinda related to me, aren't they? It's my blood, and you're able to communicate through mind-talk with..."

"It's called telepathy Dean..." Sam grunted disapprovingly.

"And I call it mind-talk. Shut up and let me finish. And this vision...it had to do with me. If you get more, maybe they'll all be related to me. And you didn't get any nosebleeds. How about a headache?"

Sam paused. "No. I feel fine. But scared." It must have taken a lot of Sam to admit his fear to Dean's face.

"See? It's cause it's my blood. You're fine. Unless it starts hurting you, and you better damn tell me, you've got nothing to worry about."

Sam slowly nodded. He still didn't look completely convinced, but it was a start. "And these powers are helping me protect you. The telepathy helps keep me in contact with you, and these visions could save your life. Anything that I can do to help you is good in my book."

Well, if Sam wanted to see it that way, then cool.

"Now, are you gonna be cool with leaving Ellen and Carl, or are you gonna mope about it and have a guilt trip?" Dean smirked.

Sam sighed sadly upon noticing Dean's smirk. "I'm not gonna be cool with it, Dean. Of course I'm going to feel terrible. But nothing is worth the possibility of losing you. Nothing."

"Okay, okay. Shut up. Let's get going then. If we leave now, we can get back to the Impala before sunset."

Sam didn't turn away from the window. "Maybe...maybe they'll be able to make it out themselves?"

Dean highly doubted that. And even if they did, the chance that they'd make it back to the hotel without getting killed by demons or mutated Croats was slim to none. But of course he wasn't going to tell his brother that. "Maybe. They're hunters. Or at least Ellen is. And Carl’s pretty tough. They stand the best chance of anyone. Now come on...."

Dean was cut off by the feeling of buzzing in his head. He felt like his ears were ringing and knew immediately what this was, even if he only experienced it a few times before.

"Dean... _Dean_!" Sam turned around and jumped up when he saw the expression on his brother's face. He hurried over to his side. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Dean sneered. "I'm getting...a call."

"A what...wait...a demon call? Like the one you made with Ruby at the farmhouse? Who is it?"

It was weird with the demon calls. Dean was able to...sense who it was that was trying to contact him. And if it was an unfamiliar demon, or someone he didn't want to talk to, he could ignore it, although it was exhausting to.

"Chill, it's just Ruby."

"What does she want?"

"If you shut up, I'll be able to answer and talk to her in order to find out!"

Dean ignored his brother's eye-roll and focused on answering Ruby.

"What do you want?" As long as he tapped into his powers to contact her, it didn't matter if he spoke out loud or in his head. She'd get the message either way.

_Old man Singer here is going nuts with worry over you two assholes. As soon as I got back, he started asking me to get in touch with you. So here I am._

"Well, now you did. We're fine. Gonna start heading back. Bye."

_Wait a minute, Deano. What are you two even doing?_

Dean sighed. "Sam wanted to rescue some stupid people. We found out the place they're being kept at is full of monsters on top of the demons. So we're coming back."

Ruby answered back just as irritated as Dean had sounded. _If you idiots would have waited for me to come back, I could have told you that._

Well that got Dean to shut up. "Wait, huh?"

_Yes, genius. Now tell me where you are._

Dean wasn’t happy with this. The last thing he wanted was Ruby joining them. But maybe she could shed some light on what was going on.

"Fine." He turned towards his confused brother. "What streets are we on the corner of?"

"Center and Park. Why? What's going on?"

"You'll find out in a second." Dean told Ruby the street names and in an instant, she appeared between the brothers, causing Sam to jump and pull out the demon knife due to shock.

"Better not think of killing me with my own knife," Ruby chuckled.

"What do you want?" Dean asked with a sigh

Ruby put her hands on her hips. "Oh nothing much, just my valuable assistance. Without it, you two might as well be dead."

"Uh huh," Dean snorted. "Sure.  Why would you care if we died anyway?"

"Because I just so happen to know that the only way we're going to win this and beat Alastair is with you two alive. Now...if you guys would have waited for me to come back before going on this stupid journey, I would have been able to tell you where the demons would be."

"You're always gone," Dean responded grumpily. "And we didn't think you'd have anything helpful to tell us anyway."

Ruby glanced over to where Sam moved and was sitting quietly on the couch. "What's his problem? He's being awfully quiet. You finally drive him crazy?"

"Leave him alone," Dean growled threateningly. "And just tell us what you found already."

"Well, I found out that there are quite a few of these 'bases' where the demons keep their slaves. All apartment buildings from what I could make out."

Sam finally stood up. "So this isn't the only one? Ellen and Carl might not even be in there?"

"Oh there's more. Maybe they're not. But this one is the closest to the eastern outskirts of the city, where those two would have entered. I doubt they made it further in and got taken to the other bases."

Ruby pulled something out of the bag she was carrying and slapped down a map on a nearby desk. "The demons I was spying on...they had a map pinned up with the base locations marked. I grabbed a map of my own and marked them as closely as I could remember. Probably not exactly accurate, but it's good enough."

Dean peered over at the map. Sure enough, there was a red X Ruby had marked close to their location.

Ruby continued on. "But the big thing is...the library...they're turning that into the main demonic base. They seemed pretty excited. Setting up for something big...sounded like Alastair may be showing up there...or at least these demons think so."

Dean looked down at the location. It was the same library that Ellen and Jo had been at and narrowly escaped before the demons came. The one that they almost drove into the demon infestation when trying to look for the women.

"Wait," Sam spoke up. "So Alastair might be coming and the demons are setting up the library as a base for him?"

Ruby huffed. "Isn't that what I just said, stupid?"

"But what are they setting up?"

"Beats me."

Sam continued to shake his head. "And...and why would the demons lock up Ellen and Carl? Crowley told us they're still alive. They would have never given into being spies. So why keep them alive at all?"

"You're asking the wrong demon." Ruby rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to know? They must have thought they could use the two for something."

"Do you know why there's monsters working for them?"

"I don't know why, but I know that they are. It's the information I was going to tell you two idiots before you decided to run off."

"So the demons are controlling them?" Sam kept up with his badgering questions and Dean let him. Why jump in when he was certain Sam would ask all the important questions?

Ruby shook her head. "No, that's the weird thing. It doesn't seem like the demons do have much control over what the monsters do. It's instead like the monsters were assigned to help the demons and lost their free will. By who...I have no clue. But no demon that I know of can do something like that."

"Maybe the demons are working with someone else who is able to?" Sam suggested, looking back and forth between the two demons for their input.

"That's my best guess," Ruby said.

"Shit," Dean cursed. "It's too damn bad I can't go in that building to spy on them and find out more of what we're up against."

"Why can't you?" Ruby rolled her eyes. "Can't take out some monsters and demons?"

Sam cleared his throat. "My visions are back. Dean and I went in there and they killed him with your knife. He's NOT going in there."

"Ahh I see," Ruby smirked. "Little physic boy is back. Was only a matter of time with how much of your brother's blood you've been guzzling."

Dean took a step towards Ruby. "Leave him the hell alone."

She seemed to know to back off but rolled her eyes all the same. "You know, if you do want to try and spy...and not die like Sam says you will...why don't you just smoke it in there?"

Dean's anger was replaced by confusion. "Wait...what?"

"They can't kill you when you're like that, especially when the knife and Colt would stay here. And it would be really easy to get around and spy that way. Ever think of that genius?"

"Oh." He hadn't actually thought of that. It was the perfect plan, but he wasn't going to tell Ruby that. "I guess I could do that," he shrugged.

Sam turned around to face him and Dean internally groaned. He knew what was coming.

"Wait. Dean...you're not thinking of actually going in there alone, are you?"

"Of course I am. The whole point of me going in this form is so the demons and monsters in there won't be able to see me and I can sneak past them. You coming along would defeat the purpose."

"Dean, they could kill you!"

"They can't kill me in this form! Didn't you just listen to what Ruby said? There's no possible way! Do you know how difficult it would be for them to even try to trap me in cloud form?"

"I still don't..."

Dean didn't let Sam finish. "Do you know what actually COULD happen if you go in with me? They could kill YOU. And I'm not risking that." Dean looked Sam in the eyes. "You told me yourself that there's monsters waiting to attack, that can easily take our weapons off of us and use it against us."

"I know," Sam hissed. "But I'd be careful."

Dean didn't want to do this, it was a low blow, but it may be the only thing to get Sam to shut up and agree. "If you do go in, you'd have to bring the Colt or knife to defend yourself. They could take it off of you and use those weapons to kill me while in cloud form, just like in your vision. Do you really wanna be responsible for that when you knew it could be prevented?"

Sam's face fell and after a second, he became angry. "Don't you dare say that to me. Don't you even try to make me relive that." His voice was cold and he shook his head, breathing deep breaths.

"Then don't come in and you actually won't have to."

Sam looked up at the ceiling and blinked a few times. "You're such an asshole."

"No, I'm a demon, being an asshole is ingrained into me."

Sam nodded, moving his vision to stare at the floor now. "Yeah, but so is being a big brother and protecting me, which I get that you're trying to do. But Dean," Sam looked up at him now. "I'm not just going to sit here while you're out there. I'm a part of this too."

"Who said you'd get to sit here and party while I'm in a demon den?" Dean smirked, hoping it would get Sam to lighten up. "I need you, okay? I need you to keep in contact with me." He walked up to his brother and tapped him on the side of the head. "Use our freaky mind-talk and let me know what's going on with the demons."

"And you let me know what's going on in there," Sam shot back.

"You know I will." Dean turned from his brother to look at Ruby. "And you...I can't believe I'm even letting Sam stay alone with you. If you try doing one thing to him, I swear..."

"Relax big bad brother." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly think I'd lay a harmful finger on him knowing that you'd come back and murder me? I like being alive. And I also like having sex with you which wouldn't...."

"Stop it!" Sam yelled, giving Ruby a horrified glare. "Dean...please be careful."

"Come on, I'm the best hunter out there, nothing's gonna get me."

That finally got a small smile to appear on Sam's face. "Yeah, you're the best hunter alright, no doubt about that."

 

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as Dean floated away after Sam extracted his soul, the younger brother immediately moved Dean's body to sit on the couch.

"You know that doesn't matter, it's not him," Ruby chuckled.

"Oh really now? I forgot I just pulled my brother from his body and he's out in potential danger."

"Why bother putting his body somewhere comfortable?"

"Because it makes me feel better alright? Drop it."

Ruby tsked. "Humans. You guys are so weird."

"Not as weird as demons. Look at Dean."

Ruby let out a loud laugh. "True. Wow, didn't think you had any sense of humor. You're always angsting and brooding. Glad I'm wrong."

God, demons were annoying. Couldn't ever keep their mouths shut. Sam wondered how in the world Ruby and Dean could have sex. Did they ever stop bickering at each other for two minutes? Did they insult each other as they...

Sam didn't want to think about it, and luckily he didn't have to when he heard Dean's voice in his head.

_How's everything looking? Any demons patrolling around the building that you can see?_

Sam breathed a sigh of relief  upon getting in contact with his brother. He was so _so_ glad they could communicate this way. He glanced outside and looked around as best as he could.

"I don't see any, Dean. But that doesn't mean they aren't around..."

_That's fine. As long as there's none lurking around, they won't be able to see me. I'm going to go through the vents on the roof, travel along them and try to spy and see if I can find Ellen and Carl. Do those two at the side door look in certain directions?_

Sam peered at the demons at the right side-entrance door _. Just in front of them and to the left and right from what I can make out. If you go towards the front and more to the left of the building, they won't have any chance of seeing you. But be careful Dean. And once you find where Ellen and Carl are, we can work out a plan to free them if they're there..._

_Nah. I got that shit covered. Got a plan._

_Dean!_ Sam complained even as he watched his brothers smoke cloud rise up above a building in the direction he suggested. Dean quickly darted over to the top of the roof before vanishing. He was inside and neither demon had noticed a thing.

 _Best not to ask questions,_ Dean continued about his plan. _It's a pretty awesome idea if I say so myself. I think you'll be impressed._

Sam snorted. Sure he would. Dean's idea of a good plan was usually something outrageous and not something Sam would support.

_Be safe Dean._

Dean, of course, ignored Sam's concern. _Now I'm gonna need to focus. Catch ya later Sammy._

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's nonchalant tone. He could play that game too. _And make it quick before Ruby drives me insane._

The last thing Sam heard was Dean's snicker before the connection got quiet.

 

* * *

 

 

Shockingly, there were more humans here than demons. Whenever Dean came across an air vent, he would spy inside. They led into individual apartment rooms, each one holding at least one human.

They had amenities, they weren't chained up or suffering. The demons were allowing them to live like this in exchange for basically being their slaves. There were some people who seemed upset or scared, these were probably the people that felt like they had no choice but surrender their will to the demons in order to protect their families. But there were others that he passed by that had the nerve to act happy. They were turning their backs against humanity but didn't care because they were safe, they were going to live. Did some of these idiots willingly give in to the demons just because it made life easier for them?

But it made sense that the selfish people would give in. If there were a decent amount of human spies in this building alone, who knew how many more were out there? What if there was one under their hotel roof? But wouldn't the spy have done something by now? Wouldn't Alastair have been alerted so he could kidnap Dean?

Dean continued floating along to the lower floors. He passed above some demons chatting in one of the rooms and found out just what he had suspected.

The demons were complaining about Alastair. They were ranting about him being a weak leader, about how he couldn't even completely break a demon who had been under his apprenticeship in Hell, then how could they trust him to lead not only in Hell, but on Earth too?

Sounded like a demon rebellion might start up all because of Dean himself. Good. Let all those morons fight each other.

Dean hovered for a while longer, but the demons stayed on the subject about bitching about Alastair before talking about which buildings they wanted to take over next. They didn't reveal anything about the monsters or what was going on. But what did Dean expect? It wasn't like they would be conveniently talking about the subject that he wanted scoop on.

He'd have to find out about the monsters in other ways. It was funny, because he had been so eager to spy on these demons. But now that he was in here, he just wanted to get back to his brother. With all that was wrong in the world, something could easily happen to Sam while he was gone. He needed to be there to protect him.

 _You still alive Sammy?_ Dean joked, trying to relieve his own tension.

Luckily, Sam responded right back. _I won't be soon if you don't hurry back. I'm about to put a bullet in my skull from listening to Ruby._

_Just shut her up with your powers._

_I did! But it's exhausting. Don't want to waste my strength._

Dean chuckled through his mind-thoughts. _Good idea._

_Did you find them yet?_

_Not yet. I'm seeing that there's tons of human spies here though Sammy. More than I would have guessed. We've got to watch out. I was right that Alastair wants to capture me because these demon aren't happy with him not being able to break me. I'm sure there's more that feel that way too._

Sam sighed. Why _can't Alastair let you be and handle the demons himself?_

Dean floated down to the basement vents, not finding anything interesting on the other floors. _Because it would be too much work. If he breaks me, it would be much easier to convince the demons that he can lead them. He doesn't like having a failure on his list, he's...._

Dean stopped his thoughts as he 'gazed' down at the current vent opening he was over. There had been some sort of storage room in the basement that the demons had converted into a jail type cell. And in that room, was Ellen and Carl.

They hadn't given into the demons to become spies. The demons wanted to use them for something else. Probably something regarding Dean. He had to get them out of here.

 _Dean?_ Sam asked, sounding panicked.

_I found them Sammy. I'm gonna get them out of here. Be prepared to find a hiding spot in the school for us in case the demons search for us there. I'll teleport us into the school so they won't know that's where I went, but they may try and search it._

_Teleport? Wait, you don't have a body..._

_I don't have time to explain right now. Just be ready._

_Okay. Be safe, Dean._

Dean hovered above the vent opening for a while, waiting to see if any demons patrolled outside of the room. It didn't seem like they were, and Dean was getting impatient. Best to get this over with.

He floated down from the vent, causing both humans to immediately gasp in shock and horror.

"Oh god no! This is what they had planned for us? To possess us?" Ellen shook her head, obviously fearing the worst.

Well, before he did what he had to do, he'd have to try and let them know this was him.

Dean stayed floating harmlessly in the middle of the room while Ellen and Carl stood against the wall, completely defenseless and staring him down.

"Just kill us. We'll be fighting you tooth and nail if you get all up in us. Possessing our dead bodies will be much easier," Ellen spat and Carl looked at her in horror.

"Now wait a minute! I don't want to die!"

Heh, this was funny. Dean moved forward, gaining their full attention, and proceeded to do a demon-cloud backflip.

Ellen and Carl looked bewildered. He flipped around a few more times.

"What, is this our form of entertainment so we don't go insane?" Ellen growled. "Some kind of demon freak show circus?"

Dean had to give her credit for her snark, even though he could easily see through it. He floated over to Carl, floating between his arms and legs and did the same to Ellen, being as ridiculous as he could possibly be.

Ellen still looked confused as hell, but Carl seemed to be coming to some sort of revelation.

"Wait a minute..." he walked over and hesitantly put his hand through Dean's smoke cloud. He seemed uncomfortable at the sensation but not pained.

"This...I think this is Dean."

Ellen's eyes bugged out of her head.

Dean did a stupid happy cloud spin.

"I guess that answers any doubts." Carl smiled. "He had to come to save us!"

Ellen was shaking her head. "How come you're so sure it's him?"

"I've seen other demon clouds and I know you have, doesn't his look really different? More calm? And isn't Dean a...more well rounded demon? It just makes sense. And I could feel it when you touch the...him...it just doesn't feel evil."

Dean could tell Ellen didn't want to be sticking her hand into a demon cloud any time soon, Dean Winchester or not.

"I'll take your word for it. But what can he do like this to help us?"

Dean floated over to Carl and hovered in front of his mouth.

"He wants to possess you?" Ellen whispered harshly. "That's..."

"Do it," Car stated.

"What?!"

"It's Dean. He won't hurt me."

"Do you have any idea what having a demon inside of you does to you? You're able to feel their darkness and they can sense your feelings..."

"It's fine. I'm sure Dean will block most of that so I can't feel it. Maybe he'll knock me out. I heard that some people who were possessed can't hardly remember anything about it. Besides, it's not like it would feel as bad as a normal demon?"

"Dean IS a normal demon," Ellen stressed. "He's not some saint."

Well, he certainly wasn't. Dean would agree with her there.

"He's _not_ normal though," Carl replied. "I've seen my family get killed by demons. Dean's not like the norm for them. He's not as dark. It's okay."  
  
"You TRUST him? A demon?"

"Yeah, I do. It's not going to be pleasant but this is how we're going to get out, so I'd rather be possessed by Dean then to die in here."

Ellen shook her head, giving up, and watched in horror as Dean got ready to possess Carl.

Well, this was going to be interesting.

Dean pored his soul through Carl's body, the man's own soul pushing back to make room for the new demon inside. He could sense the man's fear. Even though he trusted Dean not to hurt him, he was justifiably still scared as hell.

_Dude, chill, it's fine. I'm hoppin' right outta ya as soon as we get back to Sam._

Carl was still frightened and uncomfortable, but Dean could sense some relief as soon as the man could feel for certain it was him.

_Thank god I was right and it is you. This is...odd. Feeling a demon's presence. But it's not as bad as I thought._

_That's because I'm not an evil sonofabitch. You should see my soul. It's a nasty torn up thing but still resembles my human self, I kept who I was in tact. You wanna know what most demons look like? Things from horror movies._

_Makes sense. Should you push me back or keep me awake for this?_

_I don't think I'm gonna need your help so it's up to you._

_I think I'll take a nap for this one._ Carl seemed relieved.

 _Good idea._ Dean pushed Carl's soul far back and made sure it was dormant. The man was basically knocked out. Wouldn't remember anything after this point.

Dean took a breath from the man's lungs and opened his...or rather Carl's eyes. He knew they were black and he looked at Ellen, who was on the other side of the cell, staring him down.

"Dean?" she asked. She actually sounded a bit hopeful that it was him. Maybe she wouldn't hate him so badly after this.

"Yes, it's me. Carl's taking a little nap, I talked to him, his choice." He flicked his eyes back to human, something he could do in this body. "Now I need you to listen..."

Dean was cut off when the sound of a door opening echoed through the area. He could sense a demon approaching. Luckily...these things couldn't sense him. Hopefully Ellen would keep quiet.

The demon snickered as she came into view. Ellen glared at her through the jail bars and Dean did the same.

"Make yourselves comfortable. Boss has something in store for you. Won't tell us the details but says you play a very important roll in whatever he's up to. You should be proud your worthless human ass gets such an honor."

Obviously, _this_ demon croonie was still loyal to Alastair a hundred percent.

"We'll never go willingly," Ellen stated, her head held high.

Dean tried not to laugh at her posture and went for his best Carl expression, acting scared as shit but trying to hide it by standing tall and buffing out his chest.

It didn’t work. Apparently, the she-demon caught his almost-laughter.

"What's so funny there, buddy?"

Ellen glared at him; horrified that Dean was somehow going to get caught. Pshh, as if.

"Nothing much. Just thinking about how you freaks think you're going to win so easily. Your overconfidence is hilarious."

"As is yours, pathetic human. You think we already haven't won? We practically rule the world. You hunters will die out, look how easily you two got caught!"

"But we have a demon on our side," he smirked.

"One demon against thousands. And all of us are out for Dean Winchester's head."

"If you are, then why haven't you captured him already? It can't be that hard with all you pieces of scum wandering around."

"The boss has a plan for him." The demon scowled and Dean realized that he should stop pushing her. She may try to use her powers to torture him, and then realize she couldn't and therefore, that he couldn't be human. "You're lucky you serve a purpose in the Dean Winchester case or else your heart would be in my mouth."

"Sounds tasty."

The demon cocked her head to the side. "You're a cocky one. Sure didn't seem that way when we dragged you here."

"If I'm gonna go down, I'm gonna go down swingin', not crying."

The demon smirked coyly. "Maybe I can talk the boss into sparing you. He may be able to convince her that you'd serve a better purpose."

Now Dean was curious. This must be the same 'her' the moron demons had been talking about. "So your boss answers to another boss? Say it aint so! She a demon too or what, his lover? Tell me all the scoop. Might as well be entertained before I die."

The demon shook her head. "Oh yeah, she'd love to have you on her team."

"Won't happen."

"You won't have a choice. We've got way more going for us than demons controlling cities. We are more powerful than you could ever imagine. With our alliances, no one, especially not one pesky hunter-turned-demon and his freakshow brother are going to be able to stop us."

The demon luckily turned around before seeing 'Carl's' face overcome by anger at the mention Sam being called a freak. Once the door closed, Ellen smacked him.

"What the hell was that? You didn't even try to be Carl! You were completely Dean there!"

Dean shoved her away. "And this is coming from a lady who didn't think this demon was still me." Ellen actually had the guts to lower her eyes. "I don't know how Carl would act exactly! And they don't know my mannerisms either!"

Ellen didn’t stop looking bitter. "How the hell didn't they sense you?"

"Hello? I'm Dean Winchester? I'm a hunter? You don't think I would have found a way to protect myself from that by now?"

"Okay, but you kept nagging her and she could have found out something wasn't right."

"I had to try and find out some more information. It's kinda important if we all want to live through this new world. I knew everything would go fine anyway." Dean glanced back at the closed door. "Now we gotta both shut up and get out of here. I can teleport us, but not back into the school where Sam and Ruby are. Not from this distance...at least. If I was in my own body, I'd probably be able to, but I'm not used to possessing people and I don't trust my aim when I feel off kilter."

"So we run for it?" Ellen asked.

"I can teleport us outside. And yeah, we make a run towards the school. Keep close to me because when I feel we're in a close enough distance to the school, I'll teleport us inside. But we can't make it too obvious we're running to the school, but rather down the street that it’s located on. Got it?"

Ellen nodded. "Even if I die out there...for what it's worth...thank you."

Dean shrugged. "Don't thank me. Thank Sam. I wouldn't be on this mission if he didn't insist."

He reached out for Ellen to take his hand, and with only a second's hesitation, she did...

Shit. Of course Dean ended up teleporting behind a damn demon. When he had got into the building earlier, he made sure to check the back. That had been free of demons, so naturally, that was the location he chose to teleport to in order to escape.

But now, apparently the demons were guarding the back. And there was no way Sam could have seen to warn him, since he only had view of the front and right side of the building.

Luckily the demon didn't see them as his back was turned. They could get out if they went the other way....

Ellen took a step backward, right into a puddle of water that was leftover from last week's storm.

The noise was just enough to garner the attention of the demon. He turned around and aimed his gun.

"The prisoners escaped!" The demon yelled. He shot his gun, aiming at Ellen's leg but Dean shoved her out of the way. As she fell to the ground, Dean rushed over, knocking the gun out of the demon's hand. He grabbed it and shot him in the head, hoping it would keep the demon knocked out for a few minutes.

Dean turned to Ellen and not-so-gently hoisted her to her feet. "Hurry up! Before they..."

A gunshot suddenly hit Dean in the leg. He noticed the mild stinging but paid it no attention. Grabbing Ellen's arm, he started running towards the street where the school was.

"Keep moving! Don't run in a straight line! Don't make it obvious that we're aiming for the school,"" Dean instructed Ellen.

She glanced behind her quickly. "There's about three of them now!"

Shit. _Sammy, we're coming, being chased._

Hopefully he wasn't leading these demons right to his brother.

* * *

 

Sam heard Dean's reply and instantly stopped pacing. Ruby shut up as well.

From the Dean's tone, Sam could tell it was important not to respond in order for Dean to keep his focus. The message was simply meant for Sam to get ready.  Dean was being chased, but it didn't seem it was a situation he couldn't handle.

Or at least Sam hoped so.

He rushed to the window and Ruby sauntered over behind him.

"The doofus finally find his way out?"

"Shut up."

He saw Carl and Ellen running away from the building and down the street that the school was on, there were a few demons chasing them, aiming their guns and shooting. But...where was Dean? Sam didn't see his brother's smoke cloud anywhere. What was he...

Ellen and Carl suddenly vanished from where they had been running. Before Sam could panic, they were standing next to him in an instant.

Even though Sam realized that Carl and Ellen couldn't teleport on their own...even though he could feel his brother's presence in the room, he couldn't help but freak out at not seeing Dean. His mind wasn't catching up with logic.

"Dean?"

Carl's eyes flashed black and his mouth tilted into a very Dean-like smirk. Sam's heart started to slow it's frantic pacing, and he was finally able to focus in on his powers and saw that it WAS Dean's smoke soul that was inside Carl.

Dean had possessed the man in order to get them all out. Sam thought that maybe he should be worried about Dean possessing the man. The old him certainly would. But now...he was simply grateful.

"Suckers got me." Dean held out his...or Carl's leg and Sam noticed a bleeding bullet hole that he hadn't noticed before.

"Shit, Dean..."

"Don't worry, he can't feel it. I asked if he wanted to be out of it while I possessed him and he said yeah. It's just about healed by now anyway."

"They were purposely aiming at our legs, they didn't want to kill us," Ellen spoke.

Sam smiled at her. "Ellen, I'm so glad you're okay."

"Well I owe it to you both." She even glanced at Dean without any hint of malice. "Although you should probably...get out of him."

"Trust me. I'm more than eager to." Dean walked over to the couch and sat next to his body...after fixing its hair. What a dork.

Sam watched as Ellen stared wide eyed at the scene and then ended up rolling her eyes. Dean leaned back, opened Carl's mouth and left his body in a motion that was much calmer than when most demons violently left their hosts.

Sam turned to Ellen. "You knew about those powers I had right?"

Ellen nodded. "Bobby told me they were related to Yellow Eyes. He told me they were what you used to send Lilith back to Hell. Don't fret Sam, I know that's what you're going to use here with Dean.  Although why he can't get into his body by himself..." she paused, watching Dean's soul coil around Sam's neck slowly.

Sam was relieved he didn't have to explain about his powers. And luckily Ellen didn't know they were related to drinking Dean's blood. "He has those markings that lock him into his body. He can't get in or out...unless I use my powers on him. The powers are strong enough to bypass the lock."

Ellen nodded, still staring at Dean, who was now wrapping himself around Sam's left arm like some kind of demon sleeve. "Alright, let's see this in action then."

The simple notion of moving Dean's soul back into his body probably wasn't as astonishing as Ellen would have thought. She looked rather unimpressed and that made Sam smile, he was sure she would have thought of him as a freak.

Dean stretched as he brought his body back to life, blinking open his black eyes. He immediately looked towards Sam and smiled.

"I'm pretty freaking badass aren't I?"

Sam grinned. "Yeah, you are.”

Carl groaned and rubbed at his eyes, but Dean ignored him and walked towards the window, peering out toward the street. Sam went over to the man and sat down next to him.

“You feeling okay?” he asked him.

Carl looked a little disoriented as he stared at Sam. “Uh….yeah. Last thing I remember is Dean telling me I wouldn’t be awake…” He glanced around the schoolroom, looking at Ellen and Ruby, who was ignoring them all completely and flipping through a magazine. He stopped when he noticed Dean, back in his own body. “So I take it he got us back safely,” he grinned.

“Yeah. Do you need some time to relax? I know when some people get possessed, it takes a lot out of them.”

Carl waved his hand. “Nah, I feel fine. It was kind of weird at first…with…I don’t know, sensing the darkness or whatever. But it was just an uncomfortable feeling. I bet if it were any other demon, it would have felt a lot worse. And I was only awake for a short time. I’m good.”

Sam nodded and smiled. Yeah, he figured that being possessed by Dean wouldn't be as bad as say...when Meg possessed him. Even though Sam had been asleep through nearly all of it, it had left him with a dirty feeling and he had nightmares for weeks.

Sam looked over to where Dean was still peering out one of the windows.

"How's it look out there Dean? Do we have to hide? I've got a spot that will probably be good."

Dean didn't turn away from the window as he answered. "They're just looking in the stores across the street. I was near them when I teleported. They probably didn't see me teleport and they think we're hiding in there somewhere."

"They never realized Carl was possessed? They shot you in the leg. That would have taken down a human."

"They were firing off so many bullets that they wouldn't have known if they hit us unless we went down. They've got no clue he had a demon riding in him."

Carl grunted. "Oh come on now, that sounds sick." He rolled his eyes when Dean snickered. "And thanks for healing the gunshot, by the way. Actually...” Carl flexed his back. "I always used to have persistent mild back pain after an accident a few years ago. I...I don't feel it."

Dean walked away from the window and huffed. "Yeah, you're welcome."

Sam glanced at his brother in awe. "You healed an old injury of his?"

The older brother rolled his eyes. "Yeah? So?"

This just proved to Sam that Dean wasn't as thoughtless as he made himself out to be. If you showed him respect, he would respect you right back, in his own way.

Ellen cleared her throat, speaking up after seemingly listening intently to the conversation. "So, when is it deemed good to leave?"

"After the demons retreat back to their lair," Dean said. "But you two should teleport back with Ruby. Save me and Sammy the hassle."

Ruby threw down the magazine and stood up, smiling snarkily. Ellen shook her head, baffled. "You honestly think I'd allow...her...to take me anywhere. I wasn't born yesterday Dean."

Dean raised his eyebrows and so did Sam. That was the first time she referred to the older Winchester by his name. "So, you're trusting me over her?"

"If I have to choose between the demons, I'd rather pick the one that just saved my life."

That was probably the closest Dean would come to getting an apology from Ellen, but Sam assumed it would be enough. Maybe this was a turning point and she'd eventually be able to see past the black eyes.

Dean nodded once. "Fair enough."

* * *

 

 

They left the school about an hour later, when they were finally convinced that the demons had given up. Not wanting to go close to the apartment lair, they tried taking an alternant route. Luckily, Sammy had his maps with him, and they were able to find a way to get back to the original house they stopped at, the one where they parked the Impala on the outskirts of the city.

Even Dean had to admit the walk back wasn't as terrible as he thought it would be. Ellen mostly kept to herself but didn't seem as uncomfortable around Dean. They could take their time safely getting back without trying to rush. Ruby had gone back on her own and would tell Bobby that they were all okay so the old man wouldn't try to come out after them.

Sam never even brought up one depressing topic. Not even when Dean informed him of what he heard from the demon-girl back at the jail. When Dean had told him about what she had said with them wanting to use Ellen and Carl against him, Sam didn't even freak out.

"Well, they can't use them now. And we'll stop them with whatever they're planning against you. We're stronger than they think."

Sam was probably being too optimistic now, but Dean would take it.

"You know they also had a bunch of humans there, ones that were working for them. We can't trust anyone."

Sam had nodded in return. "I know. We saved a good amount of people already. We should focus on keeping them safe now."

"And whoever this "she" is...she's working with Alastair. I bet it has to do with the monsters."

Sam just smiled. "We'll figure it out. We'll find a monster and capture it and make it tell us what's going on."

It was too bad that Sam's hope and good mood didn't even last until they got back to the Impala.

Just a few blocks until they reached the house where the Impala had been stored, three Croats turned the corner. One of them was freshly turned and her features were easy to recognize.

It was the woman that they had saved from the rapists, the one who had been crying a lot. Dean figured she wouldn't make it far, but he at least thought she'd be able to get to the house.

"No...," Sam mumbled, shaking his head. "We saved her! We...."

Dean ignored his brother's ramblings and pulled out his gun along with Ellen. The two of them communicated in silent hunter code and aimed at two of the Croats, Dean got the woman, and they shot both of them in the head.

And....of course they stood back up, growling and charging at the group at a speed that wasn't common for Croats. Looked like more Croats were mutated than they thought. Damnit.

Ellen tried shooting again but Dean pulled out his machete.

"It's pointless! Let me take care of it."

"Dean!" Sam shouted. "Wait!"

But Dean ignored his brother's call. Before Sam could say much else, Dean had already beheaded the three Croats, blood splattered over his clothes and face.

"Dean! We could have left her! Now her soul is going to go to Hell and..."

Dean turned around, shrugging carelessly. "Well that's just too damn bad, ain't it? They were coming at us, I wasn't about to risk it for a few souls."

"Why the hell didn't shooting them in the head work?" Ellen interrupted.

The group at the hotel had already been informed about the situation in which the souls of the once-humans were stuck inside their Croatoan infested bodies. But Dean nearly forgot that no one knew about the mutation. Had it really been just yesterday when they found out? Seemed like forever ago.

"We think they're mutating. Becoming stronger. Long story for some other time. Now, let's get back to the house and leave before some demons come to check out what the gunshots were about."

Sam's face was still crestfallen, so Dean jogged over and tugged at his arm. "Come on Sammy, the quicker we're out of here, the better."

Sam started walking. "But...I can't believe it. We rescued her just yesterday."

"Yeah, and we wasted our time and energy for nothing."

"Dean! You can't say it like that. What those men were doing..."

Dean suddenly remembered and flashed back to his own time in Hell...to Sam being...

"No. You're right," he said gruffly. Sam looked at him in surprise to his sudden change of opinion, but didn't say anything else. The four of them finally made it to the house in silence.

He couldn't wait to get back in his baby and the hell out of this city. He was never returning here again.

Dean was going to check out the house to make sure it was safe by himself, but of course Sam demanded to come along. Which then resulted in Ellen saying that she should be able to go in too and Carl not wanting to be left alone outside.

"Fine, let's make it a party," Dean grumbled. "We told the other girl we rescued that she could camp out here. But since her buddy got turned, she might have too."

"Or...," it was obvious Sam was trying to stay positive. "She is still in here keeping safe, she could have managed to escape an attack."

Dean opened the door, and the sight that greeted them answered their questions.

"Oh my god!" Ellen turned around and walked out. Carl started gagging, and Sam kept repeating the word "no" over and over.

"Well...I'll be damned." Dean shook his head as he stared at the sight of the girl hanging from the fan in the living room, rope tied around her neck. He walked over to her body while everyone else continued to get over their shock and cut her down, checking for a pulse.

She was gone.

Dean put her body to the side and noticed a piece of paper sitting on the table nearby.

_She was too weak. She wouldn't stop crying. The Croats heard her, I tried to save her but_

_I barely got out._

_I failed her. She was the only thing that kept me going. Someone that knew what I had been through. What's the point now? I can't function anymore._

_I can't go on. I'm sorry._

_Thank you both for showing us there was still some good in the world._

_I wish it was enough._

Well, this world wasn't cut out for everyone. And after what she had experienced, Dean couldn't blame her.

Too bad the girl didn't realize that her soul wouldn't be able to move on to heaven and she would continue to be trapped in this world, only now as a spirit.

"Is she...," Sam's voice was rough. "Is she still around? Can you see her?"

Dean looked around and concentrated. "I don't think so. She probably got out of the city. Maybe she'll find other spirits if she can stay away from the demons." He got up and walked over to his brother, stepping over the body. "You okay?"

Sam shook his head. "No. Let's just get out of here. Now. And never come back."

No one argued with that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

Despite making it back to the hotel safely, getting a ton of sleep and Sadie telling him and Sam they could have a whole week off, Dean was still anxious.

True, he didn't want to ever go back into that damn city, but he couldn't just lounge around this hotel without trying to find out more of what was going on. Alastair wasn't playing around with whatever he was planning on doing to Dean and that plan could involve Sam.

That damn demon knew the thing that hurt him most was seeing his brother in pain. The things Alastair had done to the fake Sam's in Hell...well that had destroyed Dean. But not that way Alastair wanted. It had just made him even more determined to get back to Sam and protect him, which led to him giving into becoming a demon that much quicker. Yet, he never lost that part of him that was a big brother like Alastair had hoped. He was instead more protective than ever.

He may not be able to find out Alastair's plan, but he could try and find out what was going on with the monsters. That would help them become more prepared for what else was out there and maybe shed some light on the grander scheme of things.

Catching a monster was the first step. They'd probably have to torture it for the monster to give up information. While Dean had no problem doing that, and the simple thought of torture was like an itch he had to scratch...he knew he couldn't give into those eager feelings. He couldn't lose himself again. He had to keep himself together for Sammy.

So he couldn't torture...but someone else easily could.

Having already showered, Dean skipped the bathrobe for today and got dressed in some jeans and a t-shirt. He quietly snuck past where Aiden was sleeping on the couch and crept into his brother's room. Sam was still out like a light. Good. Poor kid deserved it. Dean may not understand the despair that Sam felt yesterday, but he knew that it affected his brother deeply. Hopefully he would snap out of it, because when Sam was in these funks, Dean found it hard to stay calm and hold back his temper.

He scribbled a note letting Sam know that he was going down to the main floor and fixed the blanket that had fallen halfway off his brother during the night.

Leaving the room and getting into the elevator, Dean vaguely wondered how the people would react to him coming down here alone without Sam. He hadn't stayed to chitchat yesterday when they came back, but he thought he sensed that they were more at ease with him upon seeing both Ellen and Carl returned safe.

Maybe he could finally wander around without people sneaking worried glances at him, as if thinking he was up to something bad.

When Dean stepped off the elevator, the people in the lobby glanced his way to see who it was. Most turned back to whatever they had been doing. Good.

Not seeing who he was looking for in this section of the lobby, Dean walked over closer to the restaurant only to hear someone call out to him.

Recognizing the familiar voice, he turned around. "Yeah, Bobby?"

"I was just going to ask how you boys were doing. Where's that brother of yours?"

"He's exhausted, still out. I'm letting him sleep." Dean shrugged.

Bobby narrowed his eyes at him. "It's more than just exhaustion, isn't it? I saw his face when he thought no one was looking. Something's eating at him."

"Something's  _always_  eating at Sam these days," Dean grumbled.

"Well if you tell me what it was, maybe I can talk to him, help him try and feel better."

Dean glared at the hunter. "You think I don't try and help my own brother with his problems? I know I'm a demon Bobby but for god's sake, it's  _Sammy_..."

"Are you really jumping to that damn conclusion?" Bobby rolled his eyes. "Of course I know you'd do anything for that boy, you stupid idjit. I know you want nothing more than for him to be happy. But whatever Sam's feeling at the moment, I don't think is anything you can relate to. So if you tell me what the problem is, I can be another willing human ear to listen."

"Just because I can't relate to what he's feeling doesn't mean..."

"I know it doesn't mean that you can't try. And I'm sure you have. I'm not saying you're not enough for your brother. But having someone that can understand his feelings and talk them out with him may help him come out of this mood quicker. Do you understand?"

Dean folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah. Fine. Whatever."

"Okay. So are you going to tell me then?"

With a huff, Dean gave Bobby a very shortened version. "We helped some ladies. Well a lady and a girl. When we were on our way back, we saw that one didn't even make it to the safe house before she got bit and turned. And the other hung herself in the house." Dean shrugged one shoulder.

"Shit Dean. That's pretty depressing news. No wonder Sam's feeling down after seeing that, especially someone killing themselves."

"There was nothing we could do anyway. They weren't strong enough."

Bobby sighed. "See...Dean. This is where you don't understand...not like humans do. You don't see the horror and tragedy of this situation. Not that I can blame you. You're a demon of course, and you've seen much worse. But Sam needs to talk to someone who can see this on his level."

"Well, if it will make him stop getting randomly depressed, do it. " Dean kept the  _because I feel like a complete failure of a brother that I'm not enough to make him happy_ silent.

"I hope it will help too. Your brother is a strong kid. But he's sentimental as well, which is causing him to have these feelings. It's also a strong point though, Dean. Because of this, he's able to hope for the best and to have faith in people."

"Yeah, that sounds like Sammy alright." Dean didn't want to think about how bad of a job he was doing with his brother at the moment. He had to try and push that rage away. "I'm looking for the angel, know where he is?"

Bobby's expression changed to an amused one. "I saw him in the gift shop a few minutes ago. He's...he's an odd one, that's for sure."

"Tell me about it," Dean mumbled as he walked away from Bobby. He wasn't looking forward to having a one on one convo with the literal and bland creature.

It took Dean a moment to even find the stupid gift shop. He hadn't ever bothered with it, thinking it had probably just been emptied out and used for storage. Finally finding it, he stepped inside and was surprised to see that most of the merchandise was still sitting on the shelves and racks. Well, it kind of made sense. Who really needed mugs and magnets now?

"Hello Dean," the angel spoke, turning his head to stare at him.

Dean gave the being a weird glance. "What the hell are you doing randomly standing in here?"

Castiel looked confused. "I am not just standing. I was dropping off some items I discovered when I visited a few abandoned houses while you and you brother were gone."

"Dropping off items?" Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, why?"

"Sadie informed me that this room is to be used to store supplies that we find and may not need. Others can come in and take the items if they are use to them."

Well, that was news to Dean. Pretty good idea, actually. Dean glanced around again and on second thought...a lot of these items weren't things that would have originally been stored at the gift shop. There were all sorts of different odds and ends. Dean would have to check it out later and see if he found anything worth nabbing.

He turned back to Castiel. "Okay, listen angel…"

Castiel suddenly spoke up, sounding slightly pissed, which shocked Dean. "I would suggest that you call me by my name, unless you would like me to call you 'demon'. Since we are working on the same side, I see no use in such informalities and we should be able to talk to each other in respect."

Dean blinked, taken aback. "Um…alright then. " Maybe this angel did grow a pair. He had meant to simply demand the angel do as he say, but now, maybe he shouldn't be so authoritative. "Well then…Cas…I was thinking that we should probably find out about the monsters now. Capture one for information on what's going on."

Castiel stared back at Dean. "Are you asking me to find one for you?"

Dean shrugged. "Uh. Yeah."

The angel nodded. It seemed that Dean had made the right decision in not ordering the being around. "I can do that. You and Sam have done a lot lately. You both should rest. It's my turn to help."

"Uh, okay. But just so you know, I can't really do the torturing because…"

"I understand. It will be me who inflicts the torturing if need be."

"Okay then." Dean went to turn around when Castiel called his name.

"Dean. There is one thing I wanted to bring to your attention."

Dean sighed. "Hurry up, I'm hungry."

Castiel seemed unaffected by Dean's bluntness. "It's about your brother's soul…I can see the souls of all beings…"

Dean forgot about food and instantly focused. "What about Sammy? What do you mean? Is the demon blood affecting him?"

Castiel didn't seem too worried, but Dean wasn't going to relax until he found out. "I do believe it is the demon blood yes. But I don't see it as anything dangerous to him. Has he realized any changes lately?"

Dean began to pace a bit. "Yeah…he…his visions came back, like he had with yellow eyes. But he didn't get any headache or nosebleed…he saw me dying…and...well…we kind of figured out we have this connection. We can…communicate through our minds?"

"Telepathy?"

"Yes telepathy okay! Who cares what it's called!"

Castiel looked thoughtful. "I do not think it is anything to worry about. It seems as though Sam's powers are directly related to you. The changes in his soul do not seem like they are hurting him…"

"So what you're saying is his soul looks different? What? Is he turning into a demon?" Dean was scared shitless. He didn't see any signs of Sam turning dark, and careless, just the opposite actually.

"His soul is not changing into anything else. Sam will not become a demon. He is very much human. It just seems….stronger, less vulnerable."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I think it can only mean good things. Since it is your blood Sam is drinking, and not a dangerous demon's…the affects will not be harmful. You are his brother, in fact."

"So he's okay?" Dean tried to calm his voice.

Castiel nodded. "Very much so."

Dean thought for a moment. "He has seemed to get sick less and he fought off the advanced Croatoan virus."

"Yes, Sam is less susceptible to things that are more harmful to other humans. He seems to still be developing into these changes. I should be able to tell you more later. But I believe it is only good news for your brother. You trained him in the best way."

Dean stood up straighter. "Of course I did. I wouldn't ever let Sammy do anything unless I was a hundred percent sure it was safe for him." With that, he turned around and left the room.

At least he was doing something right in regards to Sammy.

* * *

Sam finally stumbled down to the lobby at noon. He didn't even care that he skipped breakfast. He nearly threw up when he woke up due to his vivid nightmares. He kept seeing those women dead...and worst of all were the dreams of Alastair killing Dean...

He knew they were only dreams and not visions...but still, he needed to see his brother for himself to make sure he was okay.

Sam would have communicated to Dean via telepathy, but he was just too emotionally and physically drained to muster up the mental strength. Instead, he asked the nearest person, a man who had been an original survivor of the hotel.

"Hey, have you seen my brother?"

The man scrunched up his nose, but not necessarily in a hateful way. "Yeah. He took off with Brittany toward the pool."

Oh. That would explain the man's disgust. Sam even found himself laughing a little as he headed toward the pool. He hoped he wasn't going to walk in on something...

Luckily for him, Dean was only making out with this girl in the hot tub and not anything more. So it looked like even the hotel survivors were warming up to Dean enough to have crushes on him. Of course. Dean probably played the whole  _'I just saved these people, look how awesome I am'_  act.

Sam cleared his throat and the girl...Brittany jumped. Dean simply turned his way and smirked.

"Don't be jealous Sammy. You could get lots of women if you didn't mope around every day."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm so jealous. Because you know, I've always wanted to sleep with as many girls as possible. That's exactly how I am."

"Umm…I'm gonna get going," Brittany spoke up, hurrying out of the hot tub awkwardly.

"Don't be shy if you want to have even more fun." Dean winked at her, causing the poor girl to nearly trip as she grabbed a towel and scurried away.

"You're terrible." Sam shook his head, sitting down on a nearby chair.

Dean made no move to get out of the hot tub and instead leaned back and closed his eyes. "Not at all. I just flirt a bit and see if they show any interest. It's all up to them."

"And she decided to make out with a demon because...?"

"She said I was hot and that her and the others are now seeing that I'm not a bad guy." Dean shrugged. "Honestly, I think they like the thrill of doing something so out of the ordinary. Not dangerous, 'cause I'd never hurt them, but it's kind of daring in a way."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Brag some more why don't you."

Dean sighed and stretched, opening his black eyes and staring at Sam. "Anyway, you slept long enough. I hope you ate something."

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's parental tone. "Not yet."

"Seriously Sam?" Dean sounded like a damn disappointed parent.

"I will, I will. I just wasn't hungry. I had some nightmares that left me with a sour stomach."

Dean looked concerned. "Not visions, right?"

"No. I'd let you know right away if it was."

Dean finally got out of the hot tub, wringing out his boxers and wrapping a towel around his waist. "Well, they probably have some leftovers, go eat and then see Bobby. I think he wanted to talk to you."

"And you're going to...?"

Dean scowled. "Marcy asked me to help teach the kids again."

Sam grinned in return. "Aww, and you didn't even complain. I knew helping out would grow on you."

"Shut up. It's not fun but at least I can mess with them and this way the little idiots won't be so useless."

Sam just shook his head. "Whatever you say Dean."

After Sam grabbed a little bit of leftover eggs to eat, (not nearly enough that Dean would approve) he went on the search to find Bobby. This was the cruddy thing about the hotel; it was so large that it was nearly impossible to find someone when you needed them.

He tried avoiding chatting to anyone for longer than a minute or two. He just wasn't in the mood. He wondered what Bobby wanted to talk to him about, and what he might have told Dean.

Sam looked around for a few minutes, getting frustrated. Giving up, he spotted Dean, who had thankfully changed into jeans and a t-shirt, sulking towards the class meeting room.

"Hey Dean, have you seen Bobby?" Sam asked, jogging over.

Dean offered him a blank stare. "Seriously? You still haven't talked to him?"

Sam shrugged. "It's a big hotel."

"Well, I'll give you that. He was talking with Ellen by the gift shop."

"Alright I'll head over." Sam grinned coyly. "Have fun with the kids."

He didn't wait around to hear Dean's smart-ass comment and headed toward the gift shop. When he didn't see them standing around, he was about to just go back up to the room when he heard voices coming from inside the shop.

"…told you he didn't have any ulterior motive…," Bobby was saying. Sam couldn't help but sneak closer to the door that was opened a crack. He was certain they were speaking about Dean.

"Can you blame me for doubting him though?" Ellen said.

"No. But you should have listened to me and Sam. We're hunters. We wouldn't trust a demon unless we were sure he was still Dean in all the ways that really mattered."

"I thought maybe the only thing that he cared about was Sam and that meant no one else was really safe with him. And I know he only did this because Sam asked him to but…"

"But he could have told Sam no," Bobby finished for her.

"Not just that, but he could have lied and said he looked for us and then left with Sam…or he could have found us and decided we weren't worth the trouble. There has to be more good in him than I thought if he actually took the effort to follow through on this rescue mission."

Sam had always thought he was the only one that noticed all these small things and the ways Dean was different. He was glad he was wrong with that assumption.

Bobby sounded proud when he responded to Ellen. "I've noticed that another way Dean isn't like other demons is the fact that he doesn't lie. He does what he says he's going to do. You won't have to worry about secrets with him."

There was a pause. Ellen seemed deep in thought. "One thing I still can't get over though…the thing that had me really reconsider how I felt about him…he…he didn't just possess Carl. He took the time out to let us know it was him. I wasn't expecting that."

"Dean doesn't force anything on anyone. You know that includes his relationship with women, so you don't have to worry about Jo. Nothing will happen between them unless Jo makes it clear she's okay with it."

Ellen huffed. "Are you telling me that my daughter…my  _hunter_  daughter…would ever consider sleeping with a demon?"

Sam heard Bobby laugh a bit. "It  _is_  Dean. And anyway, there's far more terrible things to worry about than her sleeping with him."

"She's not going to." Ellen remained stubborn and then quickly changed the subject. "I should probably apologize to him."

"I would probably hold back with that. Dean as he is now would probably just get irritated for you trying to be sappy. So just...show him your feelings have changed. By, you know...maybe talking to him and not ignoring him and such."

"I can do that," Ellen agreed. "I better go find Jo and apologize to  _her_  for being so harsh."

Sam ducked around the corner just as Ellen and Bobby walked out of the giftshop. Ellen walked away from him, but Bobby turned the corner where Sam was standing.

"Sam." Bobby shook his head fondly. "Thought I heard someone standing nearby. How much did you hear?"

Sam shrugged, feeling awkward for getting caught. "Uhh, enough I guess?"

Bobby smiled. "Relax boy, if I had a brother and heard two people talking about him, I would've listened in too."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad that Ellen's feelings have changed."

"So am I kid, so am I." Bobby paused, as if trying to read Sam's mood. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you actually."

"Yeah, Dean mentioned that."

Bobby looked around, probably to see if there may be other people snooping. "He told me he thought you were having some trouble after seeing what happened when you two were out. He's worried about you."

"He's worried about  _me_?" What the hell? Sam wasn't the one who had spazzed out during the trip. "I'm worried about  _him_."

"You saw some pretty gruesome stuff out there Sam," Bobby continued, oblivious to the point Sam was trying to make.

"Yeah. I did. And it hurt to see it, but I'll get over it. What I'm having the biggest issue with is  _Dean_."

Bobby cocked his head to the side. "So your mood is more about your brother than what you saw with the woman committing suicide?"

Sam sighed. "Don't get me wrong, it's partly to do with seeing those two women dead. We saved them from rapists Bobby. It was just…"

"Shit, Sam. I didn't know that. They were raping those women?"

"Yeah." Sam swallowed past a lump in his throat.

"Well I can understand how much that would upset you, and how you'd probably feel alone in those feelings with Dean not having any reaction to it all."

Sam shook his head quickly. "No Bobby. Dean had one hell of a reaction. Almost  _too_  much of one."

Bobby squinted his eyes. "That doesn't sound like Dean. Not Dean nowadays, anyway. He usually doesn't have any sort of connection or emotion to stuff like that."

It was nice to know that Sam wasn't alone in realizing that Dean's reaction had been odd. "I know, right? He freaked out Bobby, really bad. He kept ranting about how disgusted he was and he was really uptight. He even was flinging stuff with his powers later on without realizing it. He was kinda…"

"Out of control a bit?"

"Yeah. It was never like he would hurt me or anything like that. He just seemed….emotionally unstable, which isn't supposed to happen with demons. I asked him if maybe…it…happened to him in Hell."

"It's Hell Sam, you know it did." Bobby paused at Sam's expression. "You didn't?"

Sam looked down at the ground, away from Bobby. "I didn't want to think…it could happen to Dean. I just…I tried not to think about it."

"Sam…it's…"

The younger Winchester interrupted him. He didn't want to hear Bobby's sympathy. Nothing that he said would ever make what happened to Dean okay. "But that wasn't what had Dean worked up. Something else did. And of course he wouldn't talk about it. I can't stop thinking about it…what could have happened that had him act that way…?"

Bobby's face was deadly serious. "Sam. I've known from the second you said he was emotionally unstable that his outburst has something to do with you."

"What? You think I made Dean get that way?" That was ridiculous! Sam couldn't help but be offended by the older man's insinuation.

Bobby put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "That's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm getting at is…that the only thing that causes so much feeling from Dean…that makes him emotionally hurt…is you."

Sam still didn't understand what Bobby was trying to get at. "Okay…but…what's that have to do with…"

"Sam. It wasn't because of something happening to him in Hell. I'm betting it was….you. Or something that looked like you, that Dean had to watch."

Sam felt like the world was spinning around him when he listened to Bobby's words. Oh god….it wasn't what happened to Dean in Hell that had him so upset. It was what they had Dean watch…maybe even believe. Something that looked like him….or some kind of fake scene that Dean had to watch…helpless to stop it.

"Think about if you were in his position. And you had to see something that looked like Dean getting…well you know. And I don't know Hell, but it was probably playing on loop, probably the worst and most disgusting scenarios. After a while….you may even start to believe that it was actually Dean."

Sam couldn't even say anything else as he turned away from Bobby and walked away, tears in his eyes. He was so disgusted and terrified, his heart felt like it was going to rip out of his chest, it was beating so quickly. The things his brother had to go through…no wonder Dean had reacted in the way he had!

Again, Sam wanted nothing more than to hug his brother. But he'd have to settle with just seeing him…seeing Dean alive and happy and here by his side.

He walked over to the meeting room that was used as a classroom and peeked inside. Dean was walking down an aisle, asking the kids about how to 'best stop a demon'. One of the kids reached out as Dean passed, poking him with an iron bar that they must have gotten from Marcy.

"That's how!" the girl said after poking him. Dean looked down at his arm where a small welt formed. Sam almost expected him to throw a bitch fit at the child.

Instead, Dean smirked. "Good, but that was a wuss attack. You have to hit the demon harder so it has some kind of strong affect on it. Get it in the face or something, stab it in the stomach."

The girl looked terrified. "I know! But I didn't want to hurt you!"

Dean gave the girl a thumbs up. "Good call there kid. You'd have to clean up all my blood if you did."

The kids laughed and some of them "eww"ed. Sam smiled at the interaction. Dean was okay, he was safe and he was functioning just fine. Sam would be able to get him through the moments that were tough for him.

He just wished that he could do more.

* * *

It took four days for the angel to find a monster outside of the city to capture. Almost too long for Dean's liking. He was getting antsy.

"I found it roaming around in the next closest town, Larchwood," Castiel told the brothers. "The area is otherwise deserted. I locked it up in a barber shop."

"What kind of monster is it?" Dean asked, wanting to know what they had to be prepared for.

"It is a male Djinn," Castiel informed them.

Dean pointed to Sam. "Okay, so no letting it touch you."

"Or you. We don't know if it can affect demons."

"It puts you into a dream world Sammy. I  _can't_ dream."

"But that doesn't mean..."

Dean cut in before Sam could finish. "So, do you think it's safe to drive there?"

"I don't believe there would be any demons along the way that would hear the car," Castiel answered. "So yes, it should be."

With that it was settled. The three of them got into the Impala and Dean drove into the small town. The angel seemed to be right, it was deserted.

"Now, this town is small, but it's still big enough where I'd think the infection would spread and Croats would be wandering around," Dean thought out loud.

Castiel didn't seem bothered. "I believe the residents evacuated into the nearest city, Sioux Falls."

Sam nodded from the passenger seat. "He's right. Remember what we were hearing on the radio Dean? About a month in, when people realized this was going to be really bad?"

Dean did remember. "Yeah. That's right. They were telling people to meet up in 'safe houses' in the city where they could be quarantined." Except they had thought that they would only stay there until the situation was under control. The people in the safe houses, which was usually a hospital or other large building, had been attacked and killed by the demons. "But did everyone actually leave like they were told?"

"In towns I passed through, I had seen the government and police escorting people out of their houses in an attempt to get them somewhere safe. I believe the same may have happened here."

Dean kept forgetting that Castiel had seen so much more than they had, he had witnessed all the stages of the downfall of society. The brothers had mostly kept to Bobby's, and since the house had been removed from any town, no one had bothered to show up and try and escort them to 'safety'.

"Okay then, I'm taking your word on it that this town is safe and empty, save for the Djinn. You better be right or I'll..."

Sam interrupted Dean's rambling. "Why would a Djinn be in an empty town?"

"He was rather...unstable," Castiel stated. "Just like the other monsters. He may have been unaware of his surroundings or actions. Or he had come into the town hoping to find human victims."

Dean pulled up to the small barber shop, impressed that Castiel actually knew how to give decent directions. Maybe Dean's assumptions on the angel's knowledge were now invalid. He did seem to pick up a lot of useful 'human' skills. He wouldn't have made it this far without learning them.

"Alright, let's get this thing started and find out some answers." Dean climbed out of the car, eyeing the angel blade that Castiel was holding. What a relief to have something else other than the Colt that would kill anything. No more needing a specific weapon to kill these monsters. It was a lot easier than getting a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood.

They walked into the barber shop and saw the Djinn that Castiel had tied up to one of the barber chairs. Suddenly, the hilarity of this situation caught up to Dean and he started chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, always the serious one.

"An angel, a demon and a human walk into a barber shop...," he began, as if setting up a bad joke.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You're something else, you know that?"

"I don't understand," Castiel seemed to still be thinking of Dean's joke. "What is so funny about stating what we are doing?"

"It's like the start of a bad joke...you wouldn't understand." Dean sighed. "Anyway, come on...look at us. An angel, a demon and a human going into a deserted barber shop in a Croat infested world to torture a Djinn tied to a chair...that's  _hilarious_. Who would have thought?"

"He's going crazy, ignore him," Sam told Castiel, but Dean caught the slight smile on his brother's face.

"So...," Dean inspected the sleeping Djinn. "Looks like one of the kinds that tries to pass as human. Or used to. No use in pretending anymore."

Dean reached out and slapped his hand against the creature's face. "Wakey wakey! Rise and shine!"

"Dean!" Sam complained. He grabbed his brother's arm and tugged, trying to get him to move back. "We agreed that you weren't going to torture."

"I'm not! I just slapped it awake!"

"I know, but it could trigger something in you. Just...just step back okay? Let Castiel handle it. Please? For me?"

Dean sighed, those stupid damn puppy eyes still got to him. He also had to silently admit that Sam did have a point, especially with Dean's periodically unstable moments as of late. "Okay, okay." He held his hands up and backed away.

The Djinn groaned and Castiel walked over and lifted its head up. "You must awaken," he ordered while Dean tried not to laugh.

The Djinn blinked a few times, and then Dean wasn't laughing anymore as the creature began to scream and trash wildly, as if unaware of his surroundings.

"Oh my god...," Sam whispered.

"That's worse than I expected," Dean admitted.

The Djinn pulled against its restraints, attempting to scream into the gag around his mouth.

Sam looked at Castiel desperately. "What are we supposed to do if they're stuck in this...mode? This isn't how monsters are supposed to react...most are usually nearly human-like. We won't be able to get it to talk."

"It's almost like they're reverting back to their basic monster instincts," Dean noted.

"There is nothing we can do but wait," Castiel told them. "After some time, the monster will most likely have a period where it regains clarity and can function almost normally. And now that we will have it tied up during that time, we will be able to question it."

Dean plopped down in another barber's chair. "Fun, another waiting game. My favorite."

Luckily for Dean, they didn't have to wait long.

It was only about 45 minutes of screaming and thrashing before the Djinn finally began to calm down. The noise was so obnoxious that both brothers had to step out for a while. Castiel remained unfazed the entire time.

"Finally..." Dean watched as the monster began to look around slowly. "Now we can..."

"Dean...," Sam had reached out to grab his arm. It was then that Dean realized he had been walking over to the Djinn without realizing it. Huh.

"What?" Dean tried to play it off. "I'm good, I'm good."

"Maybe you shouldn't be in the room when we do this." Sam seemed to be even more worried about Dean lately. A pained look spread across his brother's features, a look that Dean had noticed Sam giving him more often the past few days and it pissed him off. Did Sam not trust him anymore?

"I'm fine Sam!"

"I don't think this kind of environment is good for you Dean." Sam's eyes were sincere and worried.

"I'll watch myself, okay! I need to hear what he has to say." What the hell was wrong with his brother? Did he really think that Dean could sit this one out?

Sam sighed. He had to know that Dean was right on that point. "Okay, but let's sit up front, further away. Castiel can handle it and we'll still be able to hear what's going on."

Dean looked back at the Djinn, feeling something rise up inside him, this need...no he didn't need it...this urge to do whatever he possibly could to get this thing to talk. He knew how to be creative, he could get it talking faster than the angel most likely...

"Come on." It was his brother's soft voice that was able to break through to Dean. "Let's sit down. Please Dean."

He couldn't let that side of him out. Not when Sam needed him. He couldn't be the brother Sam needed when he let himself fall.

"Okay, okay." Dean followed his brother and sat next to him on the bench at the front entrance. He didn't fail to notice how Sam sagged in relief. Shit, he didn't mean to scare the kid.

"Can you understand me?" Castiel asked. Dean nearly had forgotten about the task at hand, with being so focused on his brother. Weird how one second it was all he could think about, and the next his thoughts were only on his brother.

The Djinn looked up slowly from where it was confined. "I...what...what's going on? Why am I here?"

"You were pacing around, and when I approached you, you became rabid." Castiel's tone was so matter-of-fact that Dean snorted.

The Djinn looked around the room with confusion; it seemed like a whole other creature than the one that had been thrashing out moments ago. Its eyes widened when his gaze settled on Sam and Dean in recognition.

"You two! You have to stop her!"

Well, maybe this thing was going to willingly tell them what they wanted. Dean never thought of that. Would save them a bunch of trouble and would have Sam relax knowing that Dean wouldn't have to watch any torture.

"Who is she?" Dean stood up, Sam letting him do so, but also standing up with his brother. Castiel backed away, letting the Winchesters take over this situation.

"You don't know?" The Djinn shook his head rapidly.

"They don't really bother keeping me in the loop." Dean chuckled darkly.

"I know they hate you, but I would have thought all demons knew because of the deal she made!"

Dean glanced at his brother, signaling for Sam to say anything if he needed to.

"We captured you to try and find out. The most we've heard is that it's a "she" and she's working with the demons. We haven't gotten a chance to question any monster because they've all been going crazy," Sam told the thing.

"We're going crazy because of her! Do you really think we'd be acting out these ways if we weren't getting forced to?"

"Getting forced how?" Dean grunted. "What, does she have you on a string or something?"

"Basically. She's our creator. And now that she's earth-bound, she can order us what to do, and we can't fight against it, only for small moments like this. Do you know what it's like to have a voice in your head 24/7? How much easier it is to give in then fight it?"

Dean shrugged. "Don't got any voice in my head, but I am a demon. I'm fighting against my basic instincts every day. Not doing too shabby if I say so myself."

Sam glanced at Dean, smiling a littler and then turned back to the Djinn. "Wait, the creator? Of what, Djinns? But all the monsters…."

"Exactly. All the monsters! She's the mother of all of us apparently! Calls herself 'Mother of All'!"

Dean shook his head. All monsters were created by one being? He never heard of such a thing.

"I think you're bluffing."

"What reason do I have to bluff? After I go crazy again, I need you to kill me. I don't want to live like this. I had a family before! I had been living like a human! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

The creature seemed sincere, and one look at Sam told the older brother that he believed the Djinn. Sam always had more understanding for monsters and a good eye for which ones weren't evil. Hell, Dean was a monster in his own way and look at how great Sam treated him.

"Then what's her name?" Dean asked. They needed more to go by than some stupid sounding title if they were going to research this in Bobby's old books.

"She calls herself Eve." The Djinn shuddered as it said her name. "Now hurry! Please, kill me now before I can't control myself!"

"We will, hold your horses. We aren't done with you yet." Dean folded his arms, staring down at the creature. "What exactly is this Eve telling you?"

"To kill. To go back to being the monsters we were meant to be. To work for the demons and do as they say."

Dean looked at his brother. "You know that Alastair and this supposed mother of all monsters aren't going to have some happy team up."

Sam shook his head. "I bet they both are planning how to overthrow and betray the other. But I guess for now, they're both benefiting by working together. Alastair gets more workers on his side and this Eve…"

"She was freed by Alastair," the Djinn told them. "So she owes him right now, is under a careful watch. She's getting his help in creating more monsters, stronger ones, new ones. Including making the Croats tougher."

The brothers shared a knowing look. Ahh, so that explained the mutated Croats. Now they were some demonic virus-monster crossbreed or something. Just great. But at least they were finally getting some answers.

Dean looked back at the Djinn who was clutching its head. "Know their plans for me? How he's going to try and capture me?"

"He just wants you…I don't know why or how.…aghhh….!" The sentence turned into a feral growl. Castiel stepped up with the angel knife, but before he could come any closer, the Djinn broke free of his restraints and headed right towards Sam at an alarming speed.

Dean jumped in front of his brother and the Djinn fell on top of them both, sending all three of them to the floor. The monster's hand reached out toward the younger brother, tattoos glowing. Dean stretched and grabbed its arm before it could touch Sam, snapping the bone.

Finally, the creature screamed, a blue light expelled through the stab wound in it's stomach. Castiel was standing behind it and pulled the angel blade out of the now dead body, letting it fall to the ground.

Dean grunted, standing up with Sam. "What the hell?!" he yelled at Castiel. "Those bonds…why didn't they hold it?"

"I no longer have many of my angel powers. I could only make due with the human resources I had. They must have come loose when it was struggling."

"Sammy could have been hurt! Or killed! It went straight for him!"

"Sam would have been fine even if you had not defended him. He is quite capable of taking care of himself."

"Are you telling me he doesn't need me?!"

"Dean, no," Sam spoke up. "Of course I do. We need each other. But I  _can_  protect myself. I don't need you taking the fall for me every time. You need to let me fight or I  _will_  get rusty."

"Sammy…"

"I'm a full grown man Dean, a hunter…I could handle the Djinn. Actually…I had the Colt pulled out and when you jumped in front of me…I could have nearly shot you."

"Fine. Fine." Dean turned away and walked out of the building. He didn't understand. If he was even in the slightest chance of danger, he was going to do whatever he could to protect his brother. He couldn't just sit by if there was a chance that something serious could happen to his brother. Wouldn't Sam do the same for him?

Maybe not.

* * *

A million thoughts were racing through Sam's mind as they got back to the hotel. Who was Eve? Did she really create all the monsters? How could they stop her? Hopefully, Bobby's books would have some answers. It may be tough without the internet, but they had to find something in the books, right?

Dean was unnaturally silent during the short ride back and still hadn't spoken as they waited to be let in the enchanted front doors. Sadie did whatever she did when she opened them, then quickly locked them up as soon as the three of them stepped through.

"Let's find Bobby," Dean said, sparing any kind of greeting towards Sadie. Not that he would have even if he was in a better mood, but he would have had something snarky to say to her. Not this time.

Sam offered Sadie a smile and then took after his brother. "Dean, if you're being quiet because of what Castiel said, you have to know that…"

"I'm fine Sam."

"You know that's your most used sentence right? Beside's "I'm hungry" or "I'm awesome"?"

Dean didn't even smile. "Well, it's true."

"No, if it were true and you were fine, you'd be joking with me. Dean, I'm not telling you that you can't protect me or be my big brother."

Dean sighed, closing his eyes. "Yeah, I know that Sam, okay? Let's just find Bobby so we can start figuring this shit out."

"You know…," Sam started to say. If Dean wanted to change the topic, then okay. Maybe this would help him feel better. "I was thinking…this mother's name is Eve…what if it's…you know THE Eve."

Dean stopped walking. "Like, Adam and Eve…?"

"Yeah. I mean, if she created all monsters, she had to be really, really old. Like, beginning of human time old."

"But I don't remember hearing about any Eve in Hell. If she was the first woman, and she sinned and all that crap, wouldn't she have gone to Hell and became a demon? Lilith was the first…not Eve…"

"Maybe she didn't go to Hell. Maybe God didn't want her to. I think…remember how the shapeshifter…the one that pretended to be you…it said it goes to Purgatory when it dies. All monsters must go there. Maybe…"

"Maybe God threw her in a new place, Purgatory, instead of Hell." Dean finished Sam's thought. "And there, she became something else, created a bunch of monsters and somehow sent them Earth bound?"

"That's what I'm thinking," Sam nodded. "The only thing I'm lost on now is… if she could unleash some monsters…how come she couldn't get out?"

Dean shrugged. "Simple. It's like the Lucifer thing. God banished him to Hell and locked him there. Probably did the same thing with Eve. Neither could get out without some really serious and complicated mojo."

"And Alastair figured it out." Sam gasped. "This really makes sense, Dean."

Dean cocked and eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

"Alastair wanted Lucifer to rise…to create mayhem and the Apocalypse. Without that, we knew he was going to do the next best thing in his mind. It wasn't just the Croats…it was unleashing the next powerful being…Eve."

"But Alastair wanted to be led by Lucifer. I don't think he's going to allow himself to be under the regime of this monster," Dean pointed out.

"No, but like we said earlier, he can use her for his own needs. She can help him create even more Hell on Earth. Enough to the point where he thinks it can't be reversed."

"I think you're right with all this, Sammy. Good thinking." Dean was in full on hunter mode right now. Sam hated that it had to come to that to get his brother out of his depressive mood, but at least it had worked. Now if Dean would quit worrying. Funny that as a demon, he seemed to do so even more, when it came to Sam that was.

"Boys."

Sam turned around. Seemed like it was Bobby who found them instead. He was about to tell their surrogate father the news about Eve when he noticed the crestfallen look on the older hunter's face.

"What's your problem?" Dean grunted.

Sam glared at Dean, horrified but not surprised. "Bobby, what's wrong?" he asked, with much more concern than Dean.

Bobby stood up straighter, trying to wipe the worry off his face and failing. "Jody isn't feeling well."

"Wasn't she just out with a few people looking for supplies?" Sam asked. She had to be feeling okay if she had been doing that.

"Yeah, and a half hour after she got back, she said she was feeling dizzy. She's with some...Brittany?" Bobby rolled his eyes when Dean smirked at the name. "Another one of your little girlfriends, eh? She was pre-med in school and is the closest to a doctor we have."

"She wasn't bit, was she?" Dean asked casually.

Bobby shook his head. "No. I made sure she wasn't."

Sam tried giving Bobby his best hopeful smile. "I'm sure she'll be okay, don't worry too much."

Dean smirked. "Yeah soon enough you two will be back to…"

"I don't even want you to finish that sentence Dean." Bobby sighed. "I'm going to go check on her now. You boys should relax and take the rest of the day off. No need to keep running out there into danger."

Bobby walked away and Dean went to follow him.

"Dean…don't," Sam called out.

His brother turned around and looked at Sam like he was stupid. "Aren't we supposed to tell him about Eve so we can start figuring this shit out?"

"He's worried about Jody right now, Dean. It wouldn't be right to bother him with this."

"This is kinda important Sam."

"And so is a Jody's health," Sam deadpanned. "You know what she means to Bobby. Let's she if she's feeling better tomorrow and then we can let him know."

"Can't we just ask him if he knows what kind of books we should start looking in?"

"Dean…if I were sick would you want people coming up to you asking you questions?"

Dean just sighed and Sam knew he had won.

"Besides…," he continued. "We found a lot out today. Let's not overdo it with how much information we learned. We can relax for a bit and think about it."

Sam wasn't just saying this because of everything they learned today. He was worried about Dean's state of mind. He kept thinking about how excited Dean looked to torture that Djinn, almost like the look of an eager addict. Maybe relaxing a bit and doing something fun would help to calm Dean.

Dean didn't sound too happy. "Whatever you say Sammy."

* * *

Sam was able to get Dean to watch a few of the DVDs and eat some slightly stale chips before they went to bed. Even Aiden was behaving, snuggling up to Sam and throwing chips at Dean. It seemed like the lighthearted events were able to put his brother in a better mood. If Dean wouldn't talk about his feelings, then he was at least shoving them down in some corner of his mind, much like he did when he was human.

Only the things that Dean really expressed emotion about now were Sam and Sam alone. Which made the younger brother even more worried. Why was Dean feeling like this? It was frustrating when Sam would tell him time and time again that he would never put anything in front of Dean. That there was nothing else he wanted more than to be by his brother's side. He DID want Dean to protect him, he just wanted his brother to stop treating him like a kid and more like a hunting partner. That was understandable wasn't it? It couldn't be just that which had Dean upset, even in being a moody demon.

So then exactly WHAT was going through his brother's head? And how could Sam really get him to talk about it? Did it have anything to do with what Sam had just learned about what Dean had to go through in Hell?

Sam fell asleep to these troubling thoughts. He almost thought he was dreaming when he heard someone running into his room, but being a hunter, he grabbed the gun under his pillow and pointed it at the figure in the doorway.

Sam didn't even need his eyes to adjust to the dark to know who it was. He could feel the presence of the demon standing there. It was Dean, of course it was. Who could possibly get into their room? Only Bobby had another keycard.

"Dean…what…" Sam put his gun back and looked at the clock on his nightstand to see that it was 2:37 in the morning. What the hell was going on?

"Do you hear that?" Dean asked.

Sam concentrated as much as he could. He didn't hear anything besides the quiet sounds of Aiden shifting in his sleep coming from the living area.

"No. What are you talking about?"

"Someone's screaming," Dean said simply.

"Are you going crazy because I don't hear a thing." Sam tried to smile, but he had an odd feeling growing in his gut. Dean wouldn't wake him up in the middle of the night for no reason.

"Don't be a smart ass. You know I can hear better than any human. It's probably just out of your hearing range."

Oh yeah, demon. It wasn't like Dean had super hearing, but he could make out sounds from further distances.

"Where's it coming from?"

"Like I know!" Dean huffed and then his body went suddenly stiff.

"Dean?"

"More than one person is screaming."

Sam rushed over to the balcony outside his room, Dean hurrying over to follow.

At first, they didn't see anything other than the pond and pool inside the fenced off area, and the fields beyond it. The night seemed quiet.

The silence only lasted a few moments though. Sam picked up a faint yell, and a few people came running out of the hotel and into their makeshift yard, clearly frightened and in a panic.

"The hell...," Dean mumbled.

"Dean, we have to..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I can teleport us down there."

"But Aiden..."

"Is safest right here," Dean told him. "Let's not even wake him up. He should sleep right through it."

"But we don't even know what..."

Dean shut him up by grabbing his brother's arm and teleporting them both onto the lawn.

No one seemed to take notice of their sudden appearance, too busy trying to get as far away from the hotel doors as possible. Someone even fell right into the pool due to their panic, in which Sam heard Dean chuckle despite the seriousness of the situation.

A man accidentally bumped into Dean while running out of the building, causing him to grumble and curse

"What's going on?" Sam tried to call out to the man, but he either ignored Sam or didn't hear in his panic.

"They're not going to listen unless you force them," Dean told him.

Before Sam could ask what his brother meant, Dean held out his hand and stopped the nearest frightened person using his powers.

It was the teenage boy that had been at Bobby's, the one who thought Dean was cool.

The boy started to struggle wildly upon realizing he couldn't move. People sprinted around him, not noticing his anguish.

"What's going on?!" he screamed. "Oh god!"

"Relax stupid, it's me." Dean marched over to the boy. "You going to stay put if I let you go?"

The boy looked over at Dean in confusion and seemed to slowly calm down. "Dean? Why did you stop me?"

Dean let the boy free and he immediately turned toward the hotel back doors, as if waiting for something to come get him.

"I stopped you because we're trying to figure out what's going on and why you're all spazzing and running out of the building. Now spill." Dean was giving the kid his best threatening glare, but Sam doubted it worked. Dean wasn't scary to the people that knew him, not anymore.

The kid turned toward the building where less people were scurrying outside. Sam hoped that was because they were safe and not that they were hurt...or worse.

"It's Jody...," he finally managed to get out. "She turned and is attacking people inside."

* * *

_Thank you for reading. I finally received good news at work, so I should be able to update quicker now that I'm not so stressed. If you have the time, please leave a few words to let me know what you thought of the chapter._


	19. Chapter 19

 

"Oh god Dean...Bobby..." Sam was thinking of the relationship the older hunter had developed with the ex-sheriff. He may not be thinking straight enough to realize he had no choice but to kill her and he...he had probably been at her side overnight... "Dean, what if..."

"Bobby's fine." Dean understood what Sam had been referring to. "He's a hunter above all else, he'll know what he has to do." Dean looked back toward the building, where chaos could still be heard inside. Something about his brother's expression sent a wave of fury through Sam's body.

"You're about to demand you go in alone, aren't you?" he asked, his tone clipped.

Dean looked guilty for a second before he put on his  _'big brother is always right, don't mess with me'_ face. "I wasn't going to demand. I was going to  _suggest_. Jody is probably mutated, we don't know if you can get infected from this new mutation. I don't want to risk it. I'm gonna have to kill her and I don't want you... you know what, never mind."

What the hell was Dean insinuating? And on top of that, Sam didn't like the tone of his brother's voice. "You don't want me to what? Dean. How many times am I going to have to tell you, I'm not leaving you to go in alone."

"Why would you bother to risk your life when I can handle it just fine?"

"Because we're a damn team and I'm not gonna stand by while there's people in danger!"

Dean huffed, shook his head, and stared Sam right in the eyes. "Well guess what Sammy? I can save all those people in there without a single ounce of your help."

Sam's mouth opened then closed, words failing him. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Dean didn't want his help? Didn't think he needed it? Then why the hell was Dean even staying with him if he thought Sam was so worthless?

"You asshole!" Sam spat out, not caring how harsh his words may sound. "You think I'm that useless then fine, I'll stay right here and you can be the big lone hero."

Before Dean could say anything in response, if he was even going to, Sam turned around and focused his attention on the frightened people outside.

* * *

Dean wanted to shout back that this wasn't about being any damn hero. He was a demon, he didn't give a damn if these people lived or died. Sure, he wanted to save Bobby, but that wasn't what this was about.

Truth was, he didn't mean what he said to Sam. Well, it kind of was true...Dean  _could_  handle it fine without Sam. He didn't exactly need Sam fighting with him…but he did  _want_  him to. It was easier with his brother, and they were a team.

But the uncertainty of the situation….not knowing if the mutated Croats could infect Sam, had Dean wanting his brother as far away from this as possible. That wasn't even all of it…because this was  _Jody_. This was someone Sam considered a friend. The kid was already going through enough trouble and depression by seeing strangers die. What would this do to him if he had to be the one to chop off Jody's head?

Dean was simply protecting him from that. So what if Sam would get an attitude? He always had one these days. It was better than him moping around even more. Dean would explain this all to him later.

A woman pushed past Dean when he was nearly at the back door of the hotel. If Dean hadn't turned around to glower at her, he never would have seen the way the girl was holding her arm….her bleeding arm.

The last thing they needed was this virus spreading through their safe haven.

Dean teleported himself right in front of the panicking woman, who jumped in fright at the demon's sudden appearance.

"Please move! I want to get as far away as possible!" It was the annoying woman that they had found in the apartment while looking for Ellen and Jo.

"Yeah, I don't think so honey." Dean grabbed  _Hayley's? Hannah's?_  arm and pulled her other hand off the wound.

"What are you doing?"

Well, that wasn't what Dean had expected to see. There was no bite, just a jagged piece of glass sticking out of her forearm.

"I'm not bit!" The woman was shaking. "But if you don't let me get further away, she might come out and get me!"

Dean dropped her arm. "You're lucky. Sure she didn't bleed into that cut or anything?"

"No! I fell on the glass trying to get out. I wasn't near her. Please!"

Dean rolled his eyes and stepped to the side, letting the wuss run away. Not everyone was going to be as lucky as her. Dean knew that there were going to be casualties tonight.

More people under one roof meant more possible danger. A greater chance for things to go from bad to terrible if something like this happened. They really should ditch the hotel, as nice as it was. Break up the group, separate a bit.

But if he were to tell Sam, all Hell would break loose. This was the one thing that gave Sam hope and a sense of normalcy. If he lost this, or if Dean even brought up the possibility of leaving...would Sam ever be even close to 'okay' again?

If Dean even wanted a chance at saving this place for his brother's sake, he'd have to hurry in before things got too bad. But he was sure the situation wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

Unfortunately, that thought was one of the very few that Dean was wrong about.

He walked into the hotel and for a moment, he almost felt like he was back in Hell. The lobby was an absolute mess, people were on the ground, bleeding and crying. Distressed screams echoed through his ears. Dean could see some people weren't moving at all, lying in pools of blood.

For a moment he thought that maybe he shouldn't have told Sam off. He could probably use his brother's help. But then again, this was worse than expected, and the worry about the chances of Sam getting seriously injured outweighed the help that his brother could have provided him.

There wasn't any time to waste. He could hear a disgusting gurgling growl getting closer, one that sounded much more dangerous than the original Croats. Jody was a mutated one, which would explain why no one had been able to take her out yet. That, and the fact that she had the whole hotel to roam and cause havoc. It was a lot easier to kill a Croat in a closed area, especially these mutated ones where you had to get close enough to chop their head off.

He had to find Bobby, see if Jody hadn't gotten to him...he just had to...

In the blink of an eye, every single light in the hotel went out.

_What the ever living fucking hell?_

He really shouldn't have told Sam to stay out.

The screams got louder around Dean...now this...this was more like Hell. Dark and full of yells of pain and fear.

Just missing the fire.

Wait...fire. That wasn't actually a bad idea. He hadn't messed with creating fire all that much, but if he could create enough where it could light his way...Dean figured it would be a better idea than using his powers to light up the room again.

Less light meant he'd have a harder time getting around...but it also meant that Croat Jody would have a more difficult time finding and killing people.

Dean concentrated, closing his eyes and holding his right arm out. He unclenched his fist and felt a comforting warmth above his palm. Opening his eyes, Dean was greeted by floating flames above his palm...nearly the amount a torch would create...just without the need of the actual torch.

He was freaking  _awesome_.

"Dean!"

Dean turned toward the sound of the voice, noticing how the fire stayed stationary over his hand. Neat.

He held his hand out and saw Sadie come into view, her expression panicked.

"Did you do that to the lights?" she asked. She stared at the fire over Dean's hand for a second with an expression that was both impressed and confused.

Dean gave her a look that he hoped showed how stupid he thought that was. "Do you really think I'd shut off the lights while there's a Croat running lose?"

"I thought maybe your powers malfunctioned or something. Who the hell would turn them off? It's not just a coincidence that the generator died at this time."

"Exactly what I was thinking. Ruby?" Dean suggested.

He saw Sadie shake her head in the dim light. "No. She had just come down a few minutes ago and was complaining about the noise. Before I could try and help her find Jody so she could….take care of her….the lights went out. Ruby went to see if she could fix them."

"So she's fixing the lights rather than trying to off the Croat that's causing havoc?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"Hey, as you would say, she is a demon. She's more concerned about why her magic fueled generator would shut off," she shrugged. "Besides, Jody took off somewhere, we're not sure what room she went into. Bobby, Ellen, Jo and the angel guy went looking for her."

"So Bobby's okay with offing his girlfriend?"

Before Sadie could respond with what Dean was certain wouldn't be a kind answer, the sound of Croat groaning was heard in the distance to their right.

Instead of running after it, Dean grabbed Sadie with the hand that wasn't producing the fire, and dragged her behind a couch where they would be hidden from view.

They almost tripped on a body before they got to their hiding spot, and Dean could see Sadie was obviously shaken.

"Why are we hiding? She…what she turned into….killed people! We have to stop her."

Dean tried to shrug it off. "Yeah…well…I kinda didn't bring any weapons."

Sadie glared at him.

"Hey! I didn't know what was going on when I teleported down here," he whispered.

"Just teleport back up and grab one!"

"I can't! I only could teleport down that far, because I could see the yard from where I was on the balcony. It's too far a distance for me to teleport without me being able to see my room."

"Just great. And where's Sam in all this?"

"I told your boyfriend to stay put in the yard so he doesn't risk getting attacked."

Sadie didn't even roll her eyes at Dean's joke. "That was a stupid decision."

"So I've learned," Dean grumbled.

The growling got closer and Dean concentrated on the fire he created, letting the flame die down a bit.

"I thought Bobby and friends were after her!" Dean hissed.

"They were. She's fast. They tried shooting her but it doesn't work. She's even too fast for the angel."

"Gotta off her head. Get her cornered. She's mutated."

"But we can't get too close or she'll attack."

"That's where I come in. I'm strong enough that I can rip off her head if I can get close. Now stay here if you don't want to die."

Dean didn't wait for Sadie to respond. He had to get this done quick before Sam decided to come in and find him. If these mutated freaks were stronger and faster, who's to say they couldn't infect Sam as well?

The growling was coming from the hallway that led to the rooms on the first floor. Great. Dean would have rather had her down the one with the pool and gym. There were less rooms over there that she could escape to. Now, down this way, Dean would have to zigzag through the hallways, hoping Croat-Jody didn't pop out around the corner and attack him.

Letting the small flame he crated guide him, Dean paused at the end of one hallway and listened. About half a minute went by until Dean finally heard a thud and a growl. Something darted out from the right and took off down the left fork of the hallway.

"Damn it! Where did she go?" Dean heard Bobby's voice. He let the fire extinguish as he listened closely, he didn't need them seeing the light and coming to investigate. He could hear Bobby talking to Ellen and their voices got more distant. Looked like they were headed in the wrong direction. Good. Now Dean could take care of this himself.

He got the fire started once again and was able to see just enough in front of him so he didn't run into any walls. The sounds of the distressed Croat were near….but Dean didn't see her anywhere. He turned in a complete circle in the dark hallway, looking for anything that may tell him where Jody had run off to.

Finally, he caught a blood smear on the wall, following it until it led to an opened door to a hotel room.

Great! Now he had her cornered…

A heavy weight pounced onto Dean's back and the surprise had him not only falling to the floor, but putting out the fire. He didn't need the light source, however, to know what attacked him.

Spit flew in his face and loud inhuman shrieks filled his ears as Dean tried to reach up and shove the Croat off him. She must have come into this room but ran back out into the hallway…and Dean had instead put  _himself_ into a corner.

Great. If only his demon powers could work on Croats.

He finally got a hold of Croat Jody's shoulder, but before he could do anything else, he felt a sharp pain on his forearm and could feel the flesh ripping away.

How nice. She was trying to make him into a midnight snack.

Dean pulled his arm away, causing more flesh to tear and blood squirting into his face. Pretty gross, but he'd been through much more disturbing scenarios. He lifted his knee to hit Jody in what was probably her stomach, but she didn't seem to care. She leaned down and Dean felt her short hair on his face before teeth embedded themselves in his neck.

Son of a bitch, that hurt!

"Dean!"

The older Winchester almost didn't catch Sam's voice over Jody's disgusting growls. A light shone into the room and Dean felt Jody jump off of him. He peered up just in time to see his little brother take a perfect swing at the charging Croat, cutting the head off in one motion.

Despite Sam probably still being pissed at him, the younger brother was at Dean's side before the head could even fall to the ground.

"Still think you don't need me?" Sam asked, but the annoyance in his tone vanished when he got a closer look at his brother. "Oh my god, Dean. What the hell happened? Shit!"

Dean grabbed at his neck wound as a late attempt to hide it from Sam, and also to try and stop the bleeding.

"She couldn't wait to get a piece of me." Dean chuckled but Sam didn't smile in return. "I'll be fine Sam."

"I don't care. I'm bandaging that up." Sam eyed the bite on Dean's arm. "Son of a bitch Dean!"

"Hey, that's my line." Dean smirked. He had to try and get Sam to lighten up. It wasn't like the bite was going to infect him. It didn't even hardly hurt!

Sam apparently wasn't in any mood to joke around. "Shut up," he said seriously, walking up to the bed in the room. While he was ripping up the bedsheet, Dean looked up to see who was holding the flashlight.

"Hey Carl, looks like you were able to repay me after I saved your ass," Dean smirked.

Carl was staring at Dean's bite wounds, looking sick. "I'm glad I was able to help but Dean...that looks bad. How are you even talking with a chunk that big missing from your neck?

Huh, so it was that bad then? "Demon. It isn't really as bad as it looks. Just stings a little."

Sam was back at his side and pushed Dean's hand away from his neck, visibly flinching when Carl shined the light on it for him. He did the best he could with the makeshift bandages, wrapping them around Dean's neck and arm.

"I appreciate the gift, but I'm not really a scarf guy, Sammy."

"Enough Dean," Sam said harshly, but still helped his brother stand up.

Maybe Sam was really taking the whole 'I don't need your help' incident to heart. But he kept a hand on Dean's shoulder as they walked down the hallway, making it clear that no matter how pissed he was, he would never stop worrying about his brother.

They were almost back at the lobby when the lights came back on. The sudden brightness even shocked Dean, who stumbled and had to blink a few times to adjust his eyesight.

The sight that greeted them wasn't pretty. Sam took a step back, and Dean remembered that he was seeing it for the first time.

On second glance though, there wasn't as many bodies as Dean had originally thought. There was just a crap ton of blood, Jody had fun with her prey.

"Please!" A girl cried from the floor, a small pool of blood was around her and she was clutching at her leg. "I don't want to die! Please!"

The sight reminded Dean of the many times in Hell as a human, where he begged for the pain to stop. He didn't have sympathy for this woman. He'd been through much worse.

"You should be lucky we have to kill you." He glared at her. "Would you rather turn into a Croat and then go to Hell?"

The woman cried louder and Sam tugged him away, his expression devastated. "Now's not the time to be an asshole." He dragged Dean over to the couches at the front of the lobby and forced him to sit down.

The cries of the bitten woman got louder, causing Dean to turn his aching neck and check out what was going on. Sadie was standing over her, probably telling the woman the same thing Dean had, but in a much kinder way.

"I'm going to help her," Sam said, his voice sounding distant. He finally turned to look at Dean, a mixture of emotions in his eyes that the older brother couldn't read. "You stay here. Don't even think of getting up."

Sam walked away, leaving Dean sitting there with Carl standing to his left awkwardly.

"He didn't like you going in alone because he was worried about you, you know," the man mentioned.

"He doesn't need to worry about me," Dean gruffly responded. "I'm a demon. I'm not gonna die."

Carl sighed, rubbing his brow with one hand. "I can see why Sam gets frustrated. It's not because of that Dean. He just doesn't want to see you getting hurt, regardless of the fact you can't die. Even in the little I've known you...a lot of shit has happened to you and I think that kills your brother."

Dean glowered at the man. He knew Sam's attitude had more to it than what this guy just said. Sam wasn't pissed just because he was afraid his basically immortal demon brother could get hurt. It was some other stupid reason or two.

But forget that. He wasn't going to get into a discussion about his familial issues with this guy he didn't really know. Time to change the subject.

"Yeah, whatever. How did you two manage to find me anyway?"

Carl looked put off by Dean's avoidance on the topic, but seemed like he didn't know what to further say to a grumpy demon. "I found a flashlight in the gift shop storage. Sam came running in shortly after, in a panic over you. He said he was helping people outside but the bigger threat was in here. He kicked down the door to the weapon storage room down here and grabbed a machete. Then I led him down where I saw Bobby and them go...then we heard the sound of someone struggling and just followed the noise."

"Ahh, flashlight in the giftshop. Quick thinker." Dean was actually jealous. "You're not gonna die anytime soon." And Sam had thought of the weapon storage that Dean had forgot. He was really slacking.

Carl looked flabbergasted at Dean's retort. "Uhh...well thanks? I guess?"

"You're welcome."

"Dean!" Bobby could be heard calling out. Dean looked past Carl to see the older hunter and the Harvelles' walking toward him.

As they came closer, Jo's eyes widened. She stopped in her tracks, placing her hands over her mouth in what Dean assumed was horror.

"Dean...no...," she gasped.

Confused at first, Dean just stared her down, offering the girl a bored look. But when he finally followed her eyes, he noticed that she was looking back and forth between the bandages on his neck and arm.

"Uh...hello...," Dean sighed, lifting his right hand and pointing two fingers at his black eyes. What was this shit? First, he had people all nervous around him and now they were forgetting he was a demon apparently?

"Oh...yeah..." Jo shook her head and rolled her eyes, the color returning to her face. "I'm a moron."

Dean smirked. "Yes, you are."

"Thanks asshat."

Ellen looked uncomfortable, but it didn't seem to be because Jo was conversing with Dean, but rather the middle school-esque flirting Dean was putting on.

Dean ignored her, and looked over to Bobby, who was silently standing behind Ellen, his face grim.

"You gonna be okay or are you gonna mope forever?"

Bobby sighed but didn't take Dean's comment any more seriously. "How did it happen?"

Dean assumed he was referring to how Jody died. "She took these chunks outta me," he pointed to the bandages. "Jumped me from behind, such an unfair fight. Sam ended up finding me and then when Jody charged at him…." Dean made a motion of swinging an invisible machete.

Bobby flinched at the news. "Damn it, she got you? I...I know it wasn't really her...but seeing her hurt people..."

"Not just hurting them, killing them too," Dean pointed out.

"Dean!" Ellen scolded. "What the hell?"

Bobby didn't even have the energy to be angry or upset. He simply sighed and shook his head, a blank and lost looking expression took over his face.

Okay, maybe that was a really shitty thing to say, even Dean could admit that.

"Alright Bobby, I'm sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Bobby locked eyes with Dean, nodding. "You're fine Dean. I can't expect you to understand. But there is no way to lighten what just happened."

"I'm just shocked you didn't try to save her...lock her in a room or something."

Bobby paled some more. He must have just realized that since Jody turned, her soul was destined for Hell. She was there right now. He blinked and shook his head quickly.

"I'm a hunter first Dean. There is no cure. There was nothing we could do for her. Had to try and kill her to protect those of us still alive."

Dean wasn't comfortable talking about Bobby's feelings for Jody and his sadness over her death. Time to change the subject to more important things. "How the hell did she turn? I thought you checked her for bites."

"I  _did_. There was nothing. It doesn't make any damn sense. She should have been fine!"

Bobby was getting worked up so Dean turned to Ellen and Jo. "Who was out with her on her last supply run?"

Jo shook her head, claiming she didn't know. Ellen seemed to be thinking.

"A younger man, about 18 and another man around my age."

"Well that doesn't help much." Dean rolled his eyes.

"The younger one was talking to you a few days ago. Seemed like he knew you a bit."

Oh. So it was the kid from Bobby's. Dean forgot his name. "Okay, yeah. I know who that is. Maybe he has an idea of what could have happened to Jody."

"We can find out," Ellen said. "Come on Jo."

Jo looked back at Dean like she didn't want to leave him alone and bleeding. She obviously still wasn't used to the demon thing and the advantages Dean now had. It was only when she saw Sam approaching that she got up.

"Okay. We'll let you know Dean."

Sam came over to Dean and Bobby, looking drained and defeated. "I'm going to help Sadie take care of the people that have been infected," he said, turning to Bobby. "Bobby…are you okay?"

The older man shook his head. "No. But there was nothing else we could do to help her. What if…she wasn't bitten. So what if the disease has gone viral and we're all infected?"

Sam shook his head. "I already asked Sadie about that. She told me that if that was the case, then the other two people travelling with Jody would have been infected too. They're not. It somehow got into her. Through a cut or something."

"Ellen and Jo are asking the two she was with if anything suspicious happened," Bobby told him. "Maybe they can remember any situation that could explain this."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "That's good." He then turned toward Dean, still looking upset, but mostly tired. "You need to go rest back in the room."

Dean shook his head. Just because he screwed up and made a stupid decision didn't mean Sam called all the shots now. "No way. I'm a demon, I don't need rest to heal from this."

Sam's face scrunched up in anger, and Dean prepared himself for what he knew was certain to come.

"I don't care Dean. Croat bites take longer to heal on you and now with the mutated ones, they will take even longer. And I doubt you want to stay out here and help deal with this mess."

"Well, no. But I'm not leaving you..."

"DEAN. You're starting the same damn argument that got you into this situation. Don't even start. I don't need your constant supervision. Now go."

Dean wanted nothing more than to argue with Sam some more. To shout something vile in his face. He wasn't trying to supervise Sam damn it. He just wanted him to be safe.

But fine. If Sam wanted him gone and away from everyone for whatever reason, Dean was more than happy to do so.

"Fine, I'll go take a nice long relaxing nap." Dean rolled his eyes. Standing up, he realized that Sam was right, he wasn't at a hundred percent. Maybe his brother had a reason to have an attitude.

"Sam." Dean turned around, watching how his brother clenched his jaw. He should wait to say this later when Sam calmed down, but he had to at least try and break the tension. "You were right that I should have let you come with me."

Sam took a breath, blinked and nodded curtly. "Okay. Go get some rest."

He still didn't sound happy with Dean, but it was better than before, right?

There wasn't much else Dean could do anyway, as Sam turned away. He knew that if he didn't go up to the room and 'rest' like his brother wanted, it would cause Sam's bitchy mood to last even longer.

He trudged toward the elevator, Ruby shoving past him as he did so.

"Hey!" Dean called out. He could just imagine her rolling her eyes.

"What?" Ruby turned around and put one hand on her hip. "You want to go for another late night rendezvous?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Maybe later, when I'm not bleeding. What happened with the generator? Anything suspicious?"

"Do you  _want_  it to be suspicious?" Ruby chuckled.

"Kinda. Want to blame someone. It's pretty convenient it went out when we had a rabid Croat running around."

"Seems like it could be. But the generators are outside. Looks like someone accidentally unplugged it when they were running for their lives. It got unplugged once before." Ruby shrugged.

"Whatever, maybe." Dean went to walk past her.

"You know, that doesn't mean others won't find someone to blame too," Ruby called out after him.

Turning around, Dean glared at her. "What do you mean?"

"People died. When people die, humans want to blame someone, that's what I've noticed. And who will they try to go after first?"

"The demons." Dean sighed, knowing she was right.

"That's right Dean-o. You and I will be the first suspects...even though we shouldn't be. What people fail to acknowledge is that if we wanted them dead, we would have done it by now and not set up some stupid complicated attack."

"Even though there's witnesses of where the both of us were?"

"I'm not saying that they won't be proved wrong, but just prepare for the doubters." Ruby winked and continued walking toward the group in the lobby.

Dean took the elevator back up to his floor, still not convinced that someone happened to accidentally disconnect the generator. But if someone purposely did it, wouldn't someone else have seen it and speak up?

Unless the culprit purposely made sure the witness got bit.

Walking into the suite, Dean was brought out of his musings when he noticed that the couch was empty and the blankets lay on the floor.

Great. Now he had to go search for the kid.

He checked Sam's 'office' first and then his brother's bedroom. He was about to look in the bathroom when he heard soft sniffling coming from outside.

Dean moved the curtains away from the balcony...the one he and Sam had been looking out of earlier...and opened the door.

Aiden was sitting on one of the chairs, wrapped in a small blanket with his head tucked under it.

"Hey. Kid." Dean snapped his fingers and instantly a frightened head appeared and ran into Dean's arms.

"Dean! You're not dead! Where's Sam?! Is he okay? Is he in his room now?"

Dean pushed Aiden off of him. "Sam's fine. He's in the lobby. What the hell are you doing sitting out here?"

Aiden sniffed. "I heard noises. This door was left open. I came out and there were people screaming down there and bleeding."

Whoops. Dean hadn't meant to leave the door open. He didn't even consider that it could affect Aiden's safety. Oh well, kid was safe.

"So you decided to sit here and listen to this mess happen?"

Aiden actually glared at Dean. It was the first time he seemed older than his years. "I was all alone! I was afraid to go into the room in case a monster came in so I hid here. You guys left me! I was scared, I miss my mommy and daddy!"

What the hell? Now the kid was going to finally get emotional about his dead parents? "Well they're dead, so no use in crying about something that can't change."

Aiden stared at Dean, horrified, before bursting into tears once again, his sobs louder.

Did he say something wrong?

"I wish I could go back home! I miss my friends, I want to go to a real school! I don't want to learn about demons and Croats!"

Dean sighed. "All that shit you learned about in school in useless in the real world. You want to stay alive? You gotta learn how to defend yourself instead of learning geometry and poetry crap."

"I don't like this new world!" Aiden continued to sob, not listening to Dean's explanation. "I don't like seeing everyone die! We're all gonna die and the Croats will rule the world forever!"

Ugh. Did he ever shut up? "We're not all gonna die Aiden."

Aiden wiped at his nose and pointed at Dean. "Maybe  _you_  won't cause you're a demon and have super powers. But all us regular people are gonna get bitten and turn into them!"

"No," Dean said sternly. "Me and Sam are gonna stop the demon that started this and anyone else that's involved."

"But there's not many people alive!"

"There's probably a lot more than we know. Kid, there's still a whole world out there. There's tons of survivors. You're not gonna see them because they're playing it smart and staying hidden. People will pop out babies and the population will grow."

Tears finally stopped flowing down Aiden's cheeks. "Really?"

"Yes. Now chill the hell out and go to sleep." Dean opened the door to Sam's room and pushed Aiden in. "Everything's fine. You're safe."

"But what if there's another Croat and it gets in our room?" Aiden looked up at Dean with big eyes.

Dean sighed. He was going to regret this, but it was the easiest way to shut Aiden up and get to bed. "You can sleep in my room and I'll take the couch. That way if one gets in, it will see me first."

The young boy started bouncing up and down in excitement. "Really? I can sleep in the big bed?"

"Yes. Only for tonight. Under two conditions." Dean paused to make sure the kids was listening. "You keep quiet and don't run in here and wake me up unless it's an emergency. And no wetting my damn bed."

Aiden looked appalled. "I'm not a baby!"

Dean rolled his eyes. "We'll see. Now scram." He shooed the boy off and he took off towards Dean's room.

Good. At least that was taken care of.

He should just get to bed right now...but Dean figured he'd wait up for Sam. He checked his bandages in Sam's bathroom, noticing how they had formed scabs already. He rolled his eyes, oh yeah,  _such_ a terrible injury that called for relaxation.

After washing up in the shower, Dean put on his bathrobe and decided he'd mess around with the computer in the room. No internet of course, but there were bound to be some card games on the thing.

But before he could even turn on the computer, he spied a thick blue notebook on the desk that he remembered seeing Sam writing in now and then.

It was his journal. Leave it to his sappy brother to most likely write down all the changes that have happened since the outbreak, the names of people they'd lost so he could read and mope about it now and then.

That sounded boring as hell to Dean, but maybe this journal also would give him some insight into what was bothering Sam lately. Maybe his brother wrote about his feelings and worries. That was something Dean could help with, if he just knew what they were.

So he plopped down in the chair, hoping Sam wouldn't be coming up anytime soon and opened the notebook.

Dean squinted at Sam's titled, scratchy handwriting, the first entry was dated a little over a year ago. It should be difficult to read, but it was like second nature to Dean, pretty much everything related to his brother was.

_June 10th 2010,_

_I figure I may as well keep record about the fall of humanity._

_It's been a little over two weeks since we ran into our first infected person. Ruby calls them 'Croats', people who have been bitten or injected with a virus known as Croatoan. Dean was right that something big was going on. More and more areas are reporting outbreaks. It's still not enough for the world to believe we're going to lose...but soon enough..._

_We've taken shelter at Bobby's and get proper defenses set up. Dean's been raiding stores. Stealing from them, before everyone starts to and the shelves go mostly empty. Some people, the paranoid ones, have already been making trips to stock up on the essentials...looks like their paranoia will pay off. I hope they'll survive._

_So many people are going to die. And I'll just have to sit here and watch...there's nothing I can do. It's the most depressing..._

Dean sighed and flipped through the pages. This was boring as hell. And he had already tried to tell Sam that all these deaths are obviously not on him. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the outbreak. That couldn't be what was still bugging Sam...well maybe it was still a little...but there had to be something else. Maybe taking a look at the last entry would give him better insight.

Finally finding the last written page, dated two days ago, Dean was preparing for another bore-fest.

_June 25th 2011,_

_I don't know what to do. I never wanted to admit it, even to myself. But the doubt has always been there in the back of my mind, and it's only gotten worse as time's gone on._

_I don't know what to do about Dean anymore._

Dean paused, he felt his heart rate accelerate, which hardly ever happened for him. What the hell was this? Sam didn't know what to  _do_  with him anymore?

He turned back to the page, trying to get his vision to focus.

_I don't know what to do about Dean anymore. I feel like he's getting worse. I thought I could control his outbursts, but I feel like I'm not even enough for him now. I'm afraid of what he may do to an innocent person._

_What if he hurts someone at the hotel because of his anger? His anger that he won't let me help him with?_

_I guess I thought being with Dean, this demon version of him, for two years...things would have gotten easier. I thought I would have adapted. But I'm afraid. I'm afraid of when he might snap. Of how much worse his violence might get. I don't want to abandon my brother, but how long until I lose him?_

_I wouldn't ever kill him. But I may need to leave him. And take these people with me, where they'll be safe._

"What the fuck damn it!" Dean slammed the journal closed, his vision going red.

Sam was afraid of him? After all the times he told Dean he wasn't? He thought that Dean might snap? Sam never acted like that...

But Sam had been telling Dean to back off with the protectiveness, to give him more independence. Maybe this was Sam's way of trying to distance himself without being harsh. He said he didn't need Dean's supervision...was that another way of saying he didn't need  _Dean_  anymore?

Standing up, Dean shoved the chair as he did so. He could feel the rage inside him build up...and something else entirely that he couldn't describe.

But he shouldn't freak out so much, should he? They've both said things to each other that they didn't mean when they were hurting. Maybe Sam had a lot on his mind that day, and was just jotting down some of his worst fears...but not things that he really felt?

Walking back into the living area where he had to sleep for the night, Dean tried to keep those thoughts in his head. He tried not to panic, to  _snap._

But he couldn't hold back as he punched the wall, reveling in the aggression he tried to release.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a good holiday season!
> 
> Thank you for reading. If you have time, you can leave a few words, I'd love to hear what you think. :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19**

Sam moved the fourth and final body outside with a sigh. He knew he should be grateful that only four people had been bitten and that no kids had ended up a victim.

Instead, he couldn't help but feel guilty about their loss. He knew there was nothing else he could have done...but...he should have demanded more precaution to be taken when Jody was having odd symptoms.

Instead, the med student, the girl Dean had been making out with in the hot tub, had stayed in the hotel room-turned sick ward with Jody. When she had turned, the girl had been first to get attacked. Jody, being a mutated Croat, was apparently strong enough to break down the door and enter out into the lobby, where she bit three more. Two men, one who had been elderly, and another woman.

No one had been from Bobby's original group. Sam at least felt lucky about that, along with the fact that Bobby had been permitted to stay out of Jody's room overnight.

They would bury the bodies tomorrow, but for now it was just necessary to get them outside and not stinking up the lobby.

Back inside, cleanup was still underway. Sadie was desperately trying to get the bloodstains out of the carpet, as if that was the most important thing at the moment. But Sam understood, these were her people and she felt like she failed them. She was trying anything to get rid of that evidence, trying to distract herself from the despair she must be feeling.

Sam wanted to do something else to help. Bobby had busied himself with helping a few other people set up a new sick ward. There were a few people who had been injured but not bitten, and they needed to be helped. Mostly everyone else was helping to pick up pieces of anything that had shattered or right-up the furniture that had been toppled over.

He spied a coffee table that was upside down but not shattered and headed over to fix it. As soon as he finished, he looked up to see a man standing right in front of him with a scowl on his face.

"What?" Sam asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. He noticed that the man was the same one who had voiced his concerns about Dean when they first came here.

"How come your demon brother gets to go to sleep? He's the most capable of all of us but you let him get off with not helping?"

A few people turned their heads; their expressions read that they agreed.

"Dean was bitten, Allen. Twice." Sam felt lucky he somehow remembered the man's name. "Did you see his neck? He was bleeding all over the place."

"So what? He'll heal, he's probably all better right now."

"He couldn't stand up without getting dizzy. Jody was mutated, it will take longer for Dean to heal over a normal Croat bite."

A couple people went back to what they were doing, no longer concerned about Dean's whereabouts.

"He could have stayed down here until he felt better, but he gets the entire night off."

"He didn't have to help at all but he went after Jody. He helped save you guys. I don't know what else my brother needs to do for you to leave him alone." The last thing Sam wanted to happen was for this guy to be another Freddie. He hadn't taken Freddie's hatred for Dean seriously enough and he wasn't going to make the same mistake this time.

"I do leave him alone, I don't go near him if I have to. I haven't even cared lately about what he's up to. But this...you're keeping him away from us...it's suspicious to me. What if Dean's the one that caused this all? Caused the power outage."

"Oh my god!" Sam groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. I wanted Dean to go back to our room so he could rest and not get frustrated."

"Dude," Carl spoke up from where he was helping clean up. "Dean was in here when the power went out. The generator's outside."

Allen stood his ground. "But he still could have gotten Jody infected. Who knows what he can do? It's a demonic virus so maybe he could create it!"

"Will you shut the hell up!"

Everyone looked over to Sadie. She was standing up now; the bloody rag she had been using to clean was clenched in white-knuckled fists.

"I don't want to hear your shit Allen. Jody got sick after she came back from getting supplies. Dean wasn't with her. He didn't do anything. What fucking reason would he have to start this suddenly?" She paused and the room was dead silent. "None. He helped us. He got hurt and he gets to rest. Now why don't you continue to help or go to sleep yourself rather than start unnecessary drama?"

Allen's face paled and then became red with embarrassment. "Fine." He stalked out of the lobby, mumbling "crazy stupid bitch" under his breath.

"Thank you," Sam told Sadie gratefully.

"He doesn't deserve Allen's bullshit," was all she said before she knelt back on the ground and continued to scrub.

* * *

They continued to clean in mostly silence for another hour before Sadie announced that everyone needed to stop and get some rest. There would be no jobs tomorrow, not even the people who cooked in the kitchen. Everyone would sleep as much as possible and could eat leftovers in the cafeteria. The only thing that needed to get done was taking care of the bodies.

"I can do that. Dean and I. We've dug enough graves being hunters."

"Okay. But get enough sleep and there's no rush." Sadie sounded completely worn out but she managed a smile. "I'll help. Goodnight Sam."

"Goodnight." Sam smiled back and headed toward the elevator, where Jo and Ellen were standing.

"Sam." Ellen turned to face him. "Just who we were looking for."

"What happened? Did Dean come down looking for me?"

"No, and he better stay up there and relax. I talked to him earlier about Jody. Said I would try and talk to the people who were traveling with her and see if anything weird happened."

"And guess what?" Jo entered the conversation. "The group had run into some demons."

Sam shook his head. He was extremely tired, so he wasn't sure if he was following. "Okay...so...what do the demons have to do with Jody getting infected?"

"She was attacked by them," Ellen said. "They cut her with a knife and the demons were full of blood...blood that wasn't their own."

"You think it was Croat blood on them?" Sam asked, understanding.

"Yeah, and the demons teleported away after they attacked Jody, saying they had other things to take care of."

The elevator dinged and the three of them boarded on.

"They...they purposely turned her? Why? They could have easily killed her."

"We don't know," Jo said. "They wanted to get the infection inside."

"They could have tracked the group to our location and killed us all...or they might already know where we are," Sam pointed out. "Why go the hard way and try to spread Croatoan to us all?"

"If that's what they were even trying to do," Ellen said.

"What else would they have wanted?"

The elevator stopped at Ellen and Jo's floor. "Not sure," the older woman responded. "Let's talk about it with Dean tomorrow."

Sam agreed and said goodnight to them both. Great. Now what the hell were the demons doing?

He tried to be relieved as he finally entered his hotel room. At least he could rest now right? Why worry himself crazy when there was nothing he could do about it right now?

Sam paused in the foyer entry. There was something else he was worried about that he could fix. Dean was possibly still upset with him. While Dean  _had_  been an ass, he had apologized before going up to the room, which was a lot for him. He wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. While Sam didn't regret what he had told him and was still a little upset with his brother, he deserved to drop the attitude with Dean after his apology.

They still needed to talk about it all, but it could wait until things got settled around here.

Sam took the left foyer entry into the living area, wanting to check on Aiden first.

What he saw instead was Dean lying there. The glow from the nightlight they kept in the room for Aiden showed that Dean was wide-awake, black eyes staring straight at Sam.

"Hey," Sam greeted. "I was hoping you would have gotten some sleep. What are you doing out here?"

Dean blinked, his expression unreadable. That was something different. Sam had been able to read Dean like an open book for about the last year and a half, despite him becoming a demon.

Dean was hiding something he was feeling, purposely being distant. He was probably pissed at Sam for having an attitude toward him. It was a never-ending cycle if it kept up this way and someone was going to have to break it.

Sam went to say something, but before he could, he caught something odd from the corner of his eye that was on the wall. Walking closer, he noticed that it wasn't an object, but a fist-sized hole in the wall.

Dean had punched the wall. He was getting so pent up that he was releasing his anger by being violent. This wasn't good.

"You smashed the wall because you were upset with me?" Sam asked. Hoping it was as simple as that. Dean had thrown things and hit the wall before when he was human, even hitting Sam on a rare occasion. Hopefully this was just his way of 'saying' he was angry and not something deeper.

"Yeah," Dean said and then flipped over so he was staring at the back of the couch.

Uh, okay then. Dean was more affected than Sam had thought if he didn't want to lash out verbally.

"Hey," Sam started quietly. "I wanted to thank you for apologizing. I'm sorry I was acting the way I did. I was just upset."

Luck seemed to be on Sam's side as the words seemed to work and Dean turned around.

"I know. You were right. I need to let you make your own choices." Dean's voice was oddly detached, almost like he was rehearsing.

Okay, so maybe he didn't exactly mean what he was saying, but at least he was trying, right? It was better than nothing.

"Well, okay. Thank you. I just want you to be able to trust me in the choices I make Dean. I can protect myself too."

Dean tensed but nodded. "Okay Sam."

Well, this was awkward, but at least they weren't fighting. They'd be okay.

"Where's Aiden?" Sam asked, trying to change the subject. They could talk about this trust issue more later, when Dean was in a better mood.

"He was scared so I let him sleep in my room," came the stiff response.

Wasn't this the most awkward conversation he had with this brother in...ever? He expected Dean to be pissy, annoyed or defensive. He never expected this complacent behavior.

"Alright, I'll go check on him." Sam quickly went into Dean's room to find Aiden fast asleep, his small body sprawled out over the king sized bed, as if he wanted to take up as much room as possible.

He smiled as he closed the door, stopping once more near the couch that Dean lay on.

"You don't have to sleep out here. You should just come in my room. You'll have more room sharing the bed than you do squished on this couch."

Sam was expecting Dean to agree. His brother valued and cherished his comfort and would hate sleeping on that couch all night.

"I'm fine Sam."

Sam blinked, taken aback by the short response. "Are you sure Dean?"

"I said I'm fine," Dean stated, still oddly calm. "Now get some sleep."

"Okay, okay. We can sleep in tomorrow and eat something in the room. Sadie's giving everyone the day off. But I thought we'd at least help bury the bodies of the four people that died. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Alright...," Sam sighed. He really hoped Dean would put this behavior away tomorrow. "Goodnight, Dean."

Sam started walking to his room when he heard the shuffling of blankets.

"Sammy...," Dean's voice sounded normal once again. There was emotion back in there rather than that controlled stiffness.

Turning around, Sam felt hopeful. "Yeah, Dean?"

Dean opened his mouth; he looked conflicted for a few seconds before shutting it and shaking his head. Any emotion that had been on his face vanished. "Nothing. Never mind, I'm just tired. Get enough rest tomorrow, okay? Don't rush to take care of the bodies." Whatever he had wanted to say wasn't going to come out tonight, if at all.

Sam nodded. "I will. And...if you want to talk to me about anything...just do so, okay?"

Finally, that got a familiar reaction from Dean. He cringed at the chick flick moment and groaned. "Okay, whatever. Goodnight."

But it wasn't a good night. Not when Sam's dreams were full of Dean pushing him away and then getting eaten by Croats.

* * *

Dean quickly figured out that keeping busy was the best way to ease his mind over the words in Sam's journal. Punching the wall was a nice release, but throwing things and knocking over inanimate objects would only scare Sam, and everyone else. So instead, why not hit something that deserved it?

So after hardly being able to get any sleep, Dean had left Sam a short note and drove. He drove until he found a small village that still had some Croats roaming about and had some fun. Messed with them until he felt like offing them. It was a nice way to release some anger, and he did honestly feel a bit better after that.

Maybe Sam really hadn't meant those words. Maybe Sam had just been mad at him for not giving him enough independence. Last night, Sam seemed worried and kept asking if he was okay, causing Dean to think Sam was afraid he was going to snap. But he had also asked him if wanted to sleep in his room. Sam wouldn't have done that if he was afraid of him, would he? That wouldn't make sense.

So after killing the Croats, he salvaged all that he could from the town. It was getting more and more difficult to find useful materials and good that they could use, but he found stuff.

He came back and dumped most of everything in the gift shop and dropped off the really good stuff at their room. Sam was still sleeping, so Dean let him be and went down to the lobby, where Sadie was already busying herself with starting the graves. Dean figured it would be a nice distraction, so that was where he was now, halfway through finishing the last grave.

"Dean! Hey!"

Glancing up from where he was digging with Carl, Dean caught Sam's angry glare. Just great. What did he do wrong now?

"What? Gonna find another reason to be pissed at me?"

"We agreed we'd both come down here and work on this together."

"No we didn't," Dean said sternly. "I agreed it sounded like a good idea. Then I couldn't get much sleep so I decided to get a head start. So relax."

"Sam, it's okay," Carl spoke up. "Sadie was working on these before Dean even got here. Then we all kind of took turns. He was just letting you rest."

"You were down there helping long enough Sam." Dean was glad that he at least had someone else's support on this matter. "I was doing something nice by letting you sleep. You should be thanking me instead of getting pissy."

Sam scrubbed a hand over his face, nodding. "Yeah, okay. You guys are right. Sorry, I just wanted to help."

Dean shrugged. Sam was just irritating him right now. His brother was the one who wanted space after all. Maybe it would do them both some good. "Well, it's not done yet." He teleported himself out of the grave, which caused Carl to jump in shock. "So get down there and help him."

Dean went to walk back into the hotel to find something else to do only to feel Sam tug at his arm.

"Hey, Dean. Wait."

"What Sam?"

Sam looked taken aback. " _What?_ I can't even talk to you? I wasn't trying to start anything. I'm just worried about you. You're acting weird and you said you didn't get enough sleep. When did you wake up?"

"I was up by 7 at the latest. It's not a big deal."

"You love your sleep Dean. You wouldn't be up that early if something wasn't bugging you. And..." Sam paused, grabbing the left sleeve of Dean's shirt. "What's this blood?"

Dean glanced down at his dirt and sweat-covered t-shirt and noticed that some Croat blood had splattered on it and mixed with the rest of the mess.

"I went out to find supplies in the villages. Killed some Croats."

Sam frowned. "You didn't write that on the note you left me. Why'd you go without me?"

Dean threw his hand up in the air with an exasperated sigh. "My god Sam! You tell me you want your space and to do things on your own, but I can't? I'm just trying to give you what you want."

"That's  _not_ what I want Dean. If you'll let me explain..."

Dean shook his head, thinking back at the journal. "You've already explained enough."

The puppy dog eyes came out in full force and Dean knew he had hurt his brother, but he wasn't going to worry about that right now. "What do you mean by that?" Sam asked quietly.

"I think you know," was all that Dean could muster out before he turned around. The rage was coming back and all he wanted to do was smash something. But he couldn't do that, or it would 'prove' to Sam that he was right all along.

He had to control himself. The first step to doing so was to get away from the thing that was causing his aggravation, and that was his brother.

So Dean walked away, ignoring whatever Sam was saying to him and went to find Ruby. Hopefully she was up for some sex.

* * *

Ruby dropped down onto the bed with a satisfied sigh. "Well, that was pretty damn awesome." She turned to face Dean who was just staring straight ahead at the ceiling, running a hand through his hair. "So, what's your problem?"

Dean glared at her. "Wanting to have sex means something is wrong with me?"

"You're frustrated. More than usual. And come on, demons have sex with other demons to release our tension. We don't have to hold back and worry about hurting the fragile humans. You wanted to let loose."

"Yeah. I did. So?"

"So...," Ruby sing-songed. "What's bugging big bad demon Winchester?"

Dean turned on his side to properly glare at her. "Since when do we sit here and chat about our feelings and problems after sex?"

"Why not? Let's play a game." she smirked.

"If it's anything like the game we just played, then I'm up for it."

Ruby rolled her eyes, which she had let turn to black. "No, moron. Let's pretend to be humans and I'll act all concerned and you pour your worried little heart out at me." She started running her fingers through Dean's hair. "And we can cuddle and play with each other's hair..."

"Shut the hell up." Dean groaned and swatted her hand away. He wasn't in the mood. He had slept with Ruby to forget about the things that were making him angry, not to chat about them.

"But knowing you, you're human enough that you probably actually  _do_ those things with the women you sleep with."

"Um, that would be a no."

"Oh please. I hear what those women say.  _'He wasn't scary at all'. 'When he got a little too rough I asked him to slow down and he did without a problem'. 'He was snarky about it, but he always asked me when he wanted to try anything'."_

"Yeah of course I did. What kind of fun is it if they're not enjoying it too?"

"I'm just saying, it's not typical demon behavior. They feel safe with you."

"Nice that they can and Sam can't," Dean snapped. Oh shit, did he really say that out loud?

"Aha! I knew it was about Sam. He's the only thing that would ever cause you to be so emotional. Now tell me."

"You were saying all this about the human crap just to try and get me to fess up about what's going on?"

"Of course. I'll try anything to know all the gossip and drama."

Dean huffed. "Well nice try, better luck next time."

"Oh come on. What did Sam say to make you so agitated? Is it the crying over all the dead people?"

"If it was that, I would have been angry a long time ago. Just leave it alone."

"You're more frustrated than after your other little spats you've had, so it has to be something."

Dean slammed his hands down on the bed and then sat up. "God Ruby, what does it matter? It can't be fixed so what's the point in talking about it?"

Ruby squinted at him. "What do you mean 'it can't be fixed'. This is Sam, you moron. Your brother. You think he would hold some grudge or whatever against you forever?"

"It's not a grudge if he doesn't trust me anymore."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Seriously? You really think Sam doesn't trust you? After he's stuck with you this whole time and follows you around everywhere? You sure you didn't ingest some holy water and it fried your brain?"

"That's the thing. He follows me around everywhere because he doesn't think he can trust me and that I'm going to snap!"

With that, Ruby let out a bellowing laugh. "Oh, this is just gold! Sam thinks you're going to snap and what? Go nuts and kill everyone? You honestly think  _that_  is the reason why he follows you around? My god, you really have some twisted perspective on devotion. What the hell made you believe this bullshit?"

"I'm not just believing it for the hell of it, Ruby." Dean gritted his teeth. "I saw it right there, in his own words in his stupid journal. He said he's thinking of leaving me because he's worried I'm going to hurt people."

"You know that makes no sense at all, right? If there was ever a chance of you hurting anyone, it would have been right when you came back. And you still didn't, not in the way most demons would. Sam wouldn't randomly assume you're going to go on a rampage."

"He might if he saw me throwing things and killing a bunch of rapists when I was flashed back to memories of Hell."

"Did you tell him that's why you freaked out, because of Hell?"

Dean blinked. "Well, no."

"Then tell him dumbass. Maybe he was just voicing possible worries, but I doubt he was serious about anything. Or maybe writing down someone else's thoughts. Are you even sure it's his writing?"

"I'm positive."

"Then talk to him, how damn hard is that to understand? It would solve a lot of your stupid issues. And here I thought you would have gotten smarter after becoming a demon."

Dean was trying to think of something snarky to say back when a buzzing sensation filled his head. He could just make out Sam's voice...he must be trying to contact him. Why Sam couldn't get through all the way, Dean wasn't sure. He tried to send out thoughts to Sam as well, but they were just bouncing back.

But it was the perfect opportunity to get the hell away from Ruby.

Hopping out of bed, Dean put his clothes back on and then turned to face Ruby. "Don't you even think of telling Sam anything that I just said."

"Trust me." Ruby snickered. "I don't want to get involved in your brother melodrama. I just like hearing about it, it's entertaining. Plus, I need you focused and not moping if we want our side to win this. I don't want to get killed because you were too busy crying over Sam."

Of course, it was all about her. With one last death glare sent her way, Dean walked out of the room. As soon as he made it down to the lobby, he was nearly tackled by a giant sweaty sasquatch.

"Where the hell were you?" Sam ran a hand, which Dean noticed was shaking, through his hair. "I've been trying to get in contact with you."

Was this worry caused by Sam thinking that Dean was out hurting someone? Dean thought back to what Ruby had said. Before he found the journal, he would never have considered that Sam was thinking that way. Anytime Sam was worried, Dean had always assumed it was for his wellbeing or fear of losing him, never about Sam being afraid of him.

This was ridiculous, wasn't it? Dean had never once had these feelings before. He had never read Sam's behavior this way. Why should he start now? Sam really wasn't acting any different.

But he did write those things. What if Sam had really felt this way all along and Dean had missed all the signs?

"Dean, hey." There were suddenly giant hands on his shoulders. "You okay?"

Dean pushed Sam's hands off him, but not as roughly as he would have earlier. "Yeah, I just zoned out. I'm tired."

Sam's brow furrowed but he didn't question his brother. "It's okay. I was just worried because you weren't answering and I feared the worst."

"The worst being what?" Dean questioned. At least this would give him some insight.

Sam didn't even hesitate. "The worst being that you had been captured or hurt somewhere! Dean I..."

"Sammy, it's fine," Dean interrupted before Sam blew a gasket. He sure wasn't acting like the words in the journal made him out to be. "I was just with Ruby...you know." He winked.

Sam's face went into a comical frown. "Gross. So you couldn't answer because you were busy...doing that?"

"No. I felt you trying to get through after the fact. And I tried responding but it wouldn't let me."

"You only felt me trying to communicate once? I tried at least five times." Sam bit his lip. "Should we be worrying about this?"

Dean thought about it for a moment. He hadn't intentionally been trying to stop contact with Sam, like he did before when he was in smoke form. But maybe their mind-talk crap was directly connected by their bond.

"Maybe we weren't able to because we were being pissy toward each other. I don't know…how we're feeling toward each other and how…connected we are at the moment probably plays into it."

Sam frowned. "And we weren't connecting very well at all. Dean, I never meant to purposely upset you. I don't want to fight."

Dean didn't want to either. He wasn't able to get the journal out of his mind, but he could try and ignore it until he was ready to talk to Sam. Which he would have to eventually, he just had to wait for the right time. But until then, there was no point in taking it out on Sam when he didn't know the full story.

He never thought he'd take Ruby's advice in a thousand years. But she actually had a point this time.

"It's fine Sam. Let's just forget about it for now. You done with the final body?" he changed the subject.

"Yeah. But are you sure we're good? You don't want to talk about anything?" Sam asked, never one to want to drop a subject.

"We're good Sammy," Dean lied. "And no, we can chit-chat when things are more settled down here."

That was, if he could ever muster the courage to find out the truth.

* * *

"Ellen wanted to chat with you and Bobby about something they found out," Sam told Dean as they made their way to the lobby. "She already told me about it, so I was going to take Bobby's place in looking after the people that were injured in case they turn."

Sam wanted to join them in conversing, but the injured shouldn't be left alone and they needed to be watched by someone strong enough to stop them if they turned. Dean seemed like he was feeling a bit better, so Sam figured he was up to talking with the two hunters.

"Okay, sounds good to me. Where are they?"

"Ellen's waiting in the small meeting room to the left." Sam pointed toward it. "And I'll go switch places with Bobby right now."

"Okay, but be safe Sam." Dean looked like he wanted to complain about his brother being left alone in a room where there was the possibility of people who could be infected but he was holding back. Sam knew he should feel grateful. This is what he wanted, after all. But he wanted Dean to truly trust him, not to pretend he was okay with it if he really wasn't.

At least it was some sort of progress though.

"I will Dean," Sam told him, going to walk away.

"Wait, Sammy."

Sam turned around to face his brother.

"You got something that can take care of them if you need too, right?"

Sam pulled the machete out of the holster. "Right here. And Cas let Bobby hold onto the angel knife, so I'll have that too."

Dean seemed to visibly relax at that news. "Okay. Good. But once we're done with this meeting, someone else can take over for you, like the angel."

Of course Dean didn't want him staying in there. Not that Sam could blame him for that one.

He let Dean go meet up with Ellen and headed toward the new room that they had converted into a small hospital-type ward. It wasn't even close to being legit. A lot of their equipment that the hotel survivors scavenged had been destroyed in Jody's escape. They also lost the only person in the building who had any sort of certified medical background.

"Bobby," Sam entered the room, calling out to his friend. "I'm taking over, Ellen wants to talk to you and Dean."

The older man turned around from where he was sitting on one of the beds, looking over the young woman that the brothers had rescued recently, Hayley.

"Alright, I'll head on over." Bobby stood up.

"Are you doing okay?" Sam needed to ask.

Bobby didn't look Sam directly in the eyes. "I'm busying myself to try not to think of her. What'll be best for me is finding that damn demon that started this all and taking him out."

"We might be getting closer with what Ellen found out." Sam wondered how Bobby would take the news that the demons had infected Jody. The poor guy couldn't catch a break. First his wife killed by them, now Jody. They were lucky that Bobby didn't take out his hatred of demons on Dean.

"Good." Bobby handed Sam the angel knife to protect himself with. "Where are they waiting?"

"The small meeting room. Dean should be waiting outside it for you," Sam told him.

Bobby nodded, leaving the room. Sam turned his attention toward the three patients that lay before him. Only Hayley was awake, her left arm bandaged.

"Are you okay?" He walked over to her.

Hayley shrugged. "I'm okay. Lost a bit of blood but Bobby patched me up as best as he could. I have a good amount of stitches and I still feel a little dizzy. How's everything going on out there?"

"As good as they could possibly be. We have everything cleaned up."

"Well that's good. Everything okay between you and Dean?"

Sam tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was in the room when you guys were arguing. Seemed pretty tense."

"We..." Sam tried to find a way to best explain the situation. "had a bit of a misunderstanding. He's been acting up today a bit, but he seems to have calmed down."

"It must be tough...having a demon for a brother." She sounded a little sad.

Sam shook his head, getting a little defensive. "He's always been overprotective since we were kids and it led to spats between us."

"But isn't he more...out of control now?"

"He's quicker to anger and more moody, but he has a good control over himself. It's nothing we can't handle. You're not afraid of him are you?"

"Oh, no...not usually, I'm just kind of weirded out that a demon is living with us. It's hard to wrap my head around it. It's almost as if I'm waiting for something bad to happen, you know? Since I found out about demons, I kind of grouped them as all the same."

"Well Dean's different. And you don't have to worry about him." Sam did his best to make his tone lighthearted. "I hope you can trust him though, because people doubting him seems to irritate him and it probably hurts him in some way."

"Alright, I'm sure I will if everything continues to go well."

Sam smiled. "Don't worry, he has nothing but good intentions."

* * *

"Okay, you told us the scoop Ellen, can we leave? I could be sleeping right now."

"Do you even need to sleep, Dean?"

"Sure I do. Unless I want my body to wear me down. I'm only a baby demon, after all. And I'm sure you wouldn't want to deal with me running on no fumes. I'd be even more of a grumpy asshole."

Ellen smirked, nodding. "Yeah, that's a good point. You'd make us all want to feed ourselves to the Croats." She grimaced, looking at the other occupant in the room. "Bobby, damn it, I didn't mean it like that..."

Bobby just brushed it off. "You don't have to watch your words around me Ellen. It's okay, it was just a joke." He looked over at Dean. "Although I may have a problem if you have anything snarky to say about the matter, so don't even try."

Dean did his best to look affronted. "I may be a demon, but I'm not completely heartless, Bobby. Come on, I'm still me; I'm not going to gloat that your girlfriend died to your face. I may not care but I didn't want her dead."

They probably weren't comforting words, but Bobby seemed to understand the point. He put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "I know you're still you, boy. And I'm damn grateful for that. You're the only demon that I would even be able to look at right now without wanting to slice its throat."

Bobby hadn't taken the news well about the demons that had seemingly injected Jody with the virus. He had agreed that it seemed like they wanted the virus on the inside.

"Well, I'll go tell Ruby to steer clear of you."

"But really Dean," Bobby wasn't in the mood to joke just yet. "I want you to stay safe. We know that Alastair wants you. Those demons were probably working for him. What if this was some sort of plot to try and get you?"

"If it was, then wouldn't they follow the group back here and attack me? If they know who is in our group, they might even know our location. Why not storm the place and instead try and spread the virus in here?"

"We don't know." Ellen sighed. "They're planning something that we aren't aware of. Maybe they want to come by surprise."

"If that's the case...then I think the best bet is to get out of this place. Put distance between us and the demons," Dean pointed out.

"You're joking right?" Ellen rose her voice. "Jo and I just got here. I thought this was the safest place."

"We shouldn't give up what we have Dean," Bobby said. "This is our community and we shouldn't throw it away."

"And if they decide to attack us?"

"Then we fight for it," Bobby spoke sternly. "We're not giving up."

"You know that there's a lot more demons running around than humans now, right? And even more Croats...ones that are mutating and are capable of things we don't even know about yet. Staying here like sitting ducks could kill us all." Why couldn't they see this? No matter how protected the hotel might be, sitting here with all these enemies nearby couldn't bode well.

Bobby shrugged. "If it gets worse, we'll talk about it some more."

"I thought you guys would want to scram, knowing that Jody got infected...and who knows what else will happen...because they're after me."

"We're not going to ditch you Dean." Bobby huffed like it was the most ridiculous option in the world.

"Considered kicking me out? It's me they're after, if I leave, they won't bother you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ellen sighed.

"Well, things are worse off than you guys even know."

Ellen looked confused. "You're keeping something from us, Dean?"

"No," Dean grunted. Great now he was going to have to explain more to them. He really didn't feel like doing this right now. "Me and Sam found out what's making the monsters go crazy a few days ago. We were gonna tell Bobby but we waited because Jody was sick."

"Is it related to the demons?" Bobby asked. "To Alastiar?"

"In a way, yeah. The monsters are being controlled by their creator...who Alastair freed so they could work together. She's the one mutating the Croats. They're both trying to create hell on Earth and when they're satisfied...they're probably going to…"

"Turn on each other," Bobby said and Dean nodded. "Of course they'd be using each other and try to gain total control in the end. Who is she?"

"That's what me and Sam wanted to talk to you about...she calls herself Eve."

"Eve as in...Adam and Eve?" Ellen's eyes widened.

"That's what we're trying to find out. I told you we were in more trouble than you think."

"Don't worry too much yet," Bobby told them. "I have enough books I saved from my house that I may be able to find something out about her. Once I have more information, we can decide if we can properly defend ourselves here."

"Alright. Don't blame me if we get attacked. You two chit-chat some more if you want, I'm gonna go check on Sam now and get the angel to take his place."

* * *

Things were quiet for the next two days. Bobby was pouring over his books on any information on Eve when he had the chance. Life was getting back to as normal as it could possibly be at the hotel.

There was a sense of worry and unease that hadn't been there before though. People now knew that their safe haven wasn't so safe after all and less people were willing to leave the building.

Sam had found out from Bobby that Dean had mentioned leaving. Sam was outraged at the suggestion. Why keep running around in a world that was just getting more dangerous? When they found someplace to make their own, they needed to protect it, not abandon it, or at least that was how Sam viewed things.

But Sam didn't even want to mention his disagreement to Dean. While things seemed to be okay between them and they weren't arguing anymore, the older brother was still more distant than normal. He wasn't as lighthearted as usual and seemed to always have something on his mind. But Dean seemed to be trying to get over it, and Sam didn't want to say anything that would hinder Dean's progress.

It turned out that it didn't matter, something was going to cause Dean's pent up anger to explode anyway.

On an otherwise normal morning, Sadie came running up to where the brothers were sitting, eating breakfast with Bobby and Carl.

"I need to show you guys something. Now."

Sam got up without a word. Dean started complaining immediately, whining that his food was going to get cold. Sam had to practically force him out of the seat and a few other people turned to see what the commotion was about.

"What's going on?"

"Where's Sadie taking you?"

Sam didn't answer, not knowing if Sadie wanted more people coming along. It ended up not mattering as a crowd started following them out of the cafeteria.

Sadie ended up leading them over to the cleared out meeting room that served as the weapons room. The door was open and in the middle of the floor was a bowl, with some blood in it, just like you would use for a demon ritual.

Sadie turned to face them. "Someone was obviously contacting a demon. I saw Ruby use this method when she talked to you when you guys lived somewhere else." She pointed at Dean. "Ruby's been out for the last day and a half, and this wasn't here yesterday. I check the room everyday."

"Are you trying to blame me for this?" Dean growled. Sam looked over at his brother; maybe he had called Crowley to find out more information? But why do it in the middle of this room?

"I'm just saying that it wasn't Ruby. And only you guys and Bobby have another key because it's most of your extra stuff that's in there."

"Don't look at me." Dean folded his arms. "Anyone can contact a demon this way, humans can as long as they know the spell."

"But who here even knows the spell?" Sadie asked.

Sam couldn't think of anyone who would even know how to perform the ritual. "I never cared to learn it. And Bobby might know with all the research he does, but he wouldn't have any demon he would need to contact besides Dean, who's right here."

Dean turned to face him, his black eyes angry. "You trying to put this on me too Sammy?"

"Of course I'm not blaming you Dean. It's just that Sadie has a point. Who else knows this? Were you talking to Crowley about what we found out about Eve? It's okay…"

Dean threw his hands in the air. "I can't fucking believe you. After everything, you're going to doubt me? Why the hell would I try to contact Crowley in a weapon's closet? Why would I leave it sitting right there?"

"Maybe it's because you were conspiring with the enemy demons and had to hurry!" someone spoke up. A few other people started to talk amongst themselves.

"Or it was a damn set-up to get me kicked out of here!" Dean bellowed. "I'm not a moron, I know some of you guys don't like me."

"Guys, relax." Sadie turned to the group of people that had gathered around. "Dean says he didn't do it, so we have to look more into…"

"You know what?" Dean's voice was cold as he spoke. "Screw you, trying to blame me after all I've done for you idiots. It doesn't matter what I do, I'll always be blamed for what goes wrong and doubted, even by my own brother." Dean glared at Sam. "I'm done with this all."

He turned and stormed away from the group. But Sam was not going to let Dean leave thinking this way. He called after his brother, trying to catch up.

"Dean...hey, please calm down."

Dean turned around, his face filled with rage. "Calm down? What? You think this is when I'm going to 'snap'. You want to protect these poor people from crazy demon Dean?"

What the hell was Dean going on about? "Snap? No, Dean. I need you to calm down for your own well-being. What is it with you and thinking I doubt you?"

"Because it's the truth and you know exactly what I'm talking about," Dean said coldly. "You're a smart guy Sammy, don't play it off. Own up to it. There's no taking it back."

"No I don't. I have no idea what you're referring to. Why don't you..."

But Dean had already disappeared, teleporting away. He couldn't teleport outside of the hotel due to the magical protection barriers, but it didn't matter. The point was, Dean could be anywhere in the building and he didn't want Sam to find him.

Should he talk to his brother and force him to believe the truth, that Sam wasn't trying to put any blame on him? Or should he give Dean time to himself?

What the hell was he supposed to do?

* * *

Thirty minutes of frustrated searching later, Sam was in panic. Bobby had told him to give Dean space, but with the 'you don't care about me' mindset his brother was in, Sam had decided that wasn't a very good idea.

He figured he would check the room again. Their suite was the first place he looked in, but maybe Dean had come back here.

Sam threw open the door to Dean's room only to freeze in shock.

Oh yeah, Dean had certainly been here.

His brother's room was in shambles. It was almost as if a mini tornado had gone off. The nightstand was tipped over; the lamp that had been on top was busted. Sam noticed a couple more holes in the wall and books had been thrown about.

Noticing a picture frame on the ground, Sam knelt down to pick it up only for his heart to drop to his stomach.

It was a picture of him and Dean. Of them laughing when they were at Bobby's on Thanksgiving before the world went to hell. The glass was shattered. Dean had thrown it to the grown or stepped on it.

Was this symbolizing Dean's feelings toward him? Or was Sam over-thinking and Dean had just grabbed anything within his reach?

What the hell was happening with his brother? What Sadie had said shouldn't have bothered him so much. Yes, he'd be upset, but normally Dean would have argued and proved points that it wasn't him, then help figure out who actually did it. He wouldn't have randomly exploded and stormed away.

It was almost as if Dean never got over what happened between them the night Jody turned. He was just holding it all in and let it bottle up, much like when he was human. And Sadie's words just caused all that pent up anger and frustration to come out.

Sam normally knew how to handle this, but it was a whole different ball game now that Dean was a demon. These situations weren't affecting him the same way and if Sam didn't find him and calm him down...there may be a possibility of him losing his big brother.

This was much more serious than Sam had first assumed.

* * *

_Calm down, calm down, calm down._

Dean was repeating this mantra in his head as he stormed around the hotel. He hadn't been this angry in a while and he was trying desperately to find a way to chill out.

He thought walking through the hotel would work. Nope.

Maybe going back into the suite and taking a breather? No, all it did was remind him of Sam and how quickly his brother lost faith in him.

He couldn't hold back as he had practically destroyed his room, and that still offered no release.

What he needed to do was get out of here. If he wanted any chance at trying to calm himself, he needed to be away from everyone. He needed to go kill some Croats, to hurt something.

It was the only thing left that he could think of doing.

Dean made his way to the lobby when Aiden stopped him in the hallway.

"Dean! Sam's looking for you and told me to get you so you guys could talk!"

"Not now Aiden," Dean said, walking past the young boy.

"But Dean!"

Dean kept walking, trying to ignore the little voice that was aggravating him more than it should.

"Dean, please!" Aiden tugged on his jeans. "Sam said to..."

"I said not now!" Dean turned around and yelled at the boy, using his powers to push him away.

Aiden stumbled back a few steps, his eyes filling with tears. Dean spun back around so he didn't have to see the fright on the kid's face, the evidence of what he'd just done.

Maybe Sam was right. Maybe he was going to snap.

Shit, he really did have to get out of here before he did anything he would regret.

At least he still was feeling regret. That was a good sign, right?

He finally made it to the front door, ignoring the stares of a few of the people in the lobby.

"Let me out," he said sternly to Sadie who was sitting on one of the couches, looking sad.

"Dean, I don't think right now is a good idea."

"Because you're blaming me for what happened, right?"

"I never blamed you. I just think right now we need to focus on finding out who did it."

"Yeah. Sure you are."

"Dean..."

"Sadie, you don't get to say shit like that to me and try to accuse me and then expect me to be fine. You pissed me off and I  _need_  to get out of here."

Dean didn't mean to word it as a threat, but really...if he didn't get out he might do something else than simply push someone off of him. He was sure punching some poor sucker in the face wouldn't go too well around here.

"Okay," Sadie said quietly and started removing some of the magical locks. "Just try and not be gone too long."

Dean didn't answer her as he walked out the door.

* * *

"Sam!" Aiden was crying as Sam passed him in the hallway.

"Aiden, not right now okay?" He just didn't have time to try and comfort whatever had upset the boy. He needed to find Dean, now.

"Why are you saying that to me too!?" the boy cried even louder.

That got Sam to stop. "Wait? Who else told you that?"

"Dean did! He yelled at me and made his demon powers push me away!"

Oh shit. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" Dean wouldn't ever...

"No but he was mean just like you're being!"

Thank goodness. Dean only hurt the boy's feelings. But if Dean had reverted back to yelling at Aiden after all the progress he had made with the kid...who knew how far back he would regress?

"Aiden, listen." Sam knelt down. "Dean and I are having a fight. We're both really sad. We didn't mean to take it out on you. But I need to know which way Dean went so I can talk to him and make it all better, okay?"

Aiden sniffed, nodding. "I like it when Dean is mean but he's joking. I don't like it when he's mean for real. He went to the lobby. Can you help him get better?"

Sam stood up. "Yes, I can. I might need to talk to him for a while but I will. Thank you, Aiden."

Convinced that he had Aiden on the mend, Sam headed to the lobby where Sadie immediately approached him.

"Sam..."

"Have you seen Dean?" he interrupted her.

"That's what I was going to tell you. He left Sam. He drove east in his car."

"He what? You let him out?" Sam ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "How could you do that?"

"He was really pent up, Sam. I told him I didn't want to, but he insisted that he had to."

"With the mood he's in, who knows...he could have taken off for good!"

"He wouldn't do that to you Sam. The reason I let him leave was because of his mood. He could have flipped out more than he did and I didn't want people putting more blame on him because he was angry."

Sam couldn't help it as he started pacing. "I get why you did it Sadie, I do. But...I need to find him. I need to make sure he's okay."

To his surprise, Sadie didn't argue. "Find your brother. Tell him I'm sorry. I never thought it was him but I have to consider everyone's concerns if they're even somewhat legit. I didn't mean to cause him to get so upset."

"It wasn't you Sadie. Don't blame yourself." Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "Something else is eating at him, part of it is my fault and there's something else that's bigger. I need to find him and force him to tell me. I should have done it a long time ago."

He went to leave, but Sadie grabbed his arm. "You're a good brother Sam, you take your own advice and don't blame yourself either."

Sam nodded. He wasn't sure he could do that. Not until he found Dean, safe and unharmed and found out what was wrong.

"And you know what? I'm coming with you. I let him go and I'll help bring him back. Don't even try to argue."

* * *

Dean finally found another village with Croats. He was beginning to think he had wiped them all out within a 20-mile radius.

But there was at least one left. All that mattered was that he had something to kill. This would help him. It had to.

And if it didn't...well...

He would just have to keep driving. Distance himself from the survivors and most importantly Sam. He didn't want his brother to see him if he did officially snap.

Yesterday he had seen Sam with Sadie. Dean saw him comforting her, offering her a hug when the girl had displayed a rare moment of weakness. She had let her guard down around Sam, something she never did….she liked him. With Dean gone, they could actually get together. They would be good for each other, help each other get stronger. It would be much better than Dean dragging Sam down with worry. And this way, his brother could have a family and keep everyone in the hotel safe.

The more he thought about it, the better it sounded.

Dean slammed the door shut to the Impala, alerting the Croats to the noise. A group of four sauntered out from an old building. They weren't screeching...they weren't the mutated ones. No matter. He would have some fun.

He messed with them for a while, stabbing them with his knife and wrestling, laughing as blood poured out from them, letting out as much physical aggression as he could before finally chopping off their heads.

He stood up after he killed the fourth one and brushed the dirt off his jeans. He felt a little better. Sure, he looked and sounded ridiculous and would probably seem insane if anyone was alive to see him. But that didn't matter. Maybe this was working.

A yell from one of the buildings caught his attention. It was a very human like sound that was out of place in this desolated landscape. Dean was rushing in before he could even wonder what someone would be doing here in a Croat-infested and destroyed village.

A boy, no older than 14, was cowering in the corner of a torn-up general store. A Croat was making its way toward him.

It didn't even occur to Dean that this situation was odd. If he had been feeling like his normal self, maybe he would have. But at the moment, all he could see was the opportunity to focus on another kill and the chance to do something good in saving someone.

This would prove to himself that he wasn't like the other demons and that Sam was wrong.

Dean grabbed the Croat by the arm and didn't even bother messing around with it this time. He took one powerful swing and sent its head to the dirty floor.

Dean kicked the head, sending it rolling across the store and looked over at the boy. "You okay kid?"

The teenager looked up at Dean in fear and backed even further into the corner. He was staring directly into Dean's black eyes. "Get away from me you monster!"

Dean huffed. This wasn't what he needed right now. "I'd watch your tone. I just saved your ass."

"You're a demon! You didn't save me, you're just going to kill me now!"

"I'm not going to kill you, I'm offing all the Croats in this town and then you'll actually have a safe place to stay."

The kid shook his head. "You're a disgusting freak! There's nothing good that comes from you!"

Dean clenched his fists. "You like pissing off demons and putting yourself at risk?"

"Filthy hell scum! Just come and kill me already!" the boy yelled.

Obviously this kid wanted to die, wanted him to kill him. Dean wasn't going to buy into it. He understood being suicidal in this world, but he couldn't be the one to do it. He wouldn't allow himself to.

"I'm not going to be the one to kill you, so go find an actual evil demon that will. Tons of them are..."

"Freak!"

Dean bit his lip. "Kid come..."

"Monster!"

"Savage!"

"Devil!"

The boy kept yelling these insults and the more he did...the more Dean could imagine these were the thoughts that Sam was saying...the fears of what Sam thought he was going to turn into.

He could feel the rage boiling over. What was the point in trying to hold back? He should just give into the monster he was meant to be. The only reason he had held onto himself...onto his humanity and personality...had been for his brother.

And Sam didn't believe in him anymore.

Maybe he wasn't so different after all. Why not just let loose? It was a lot easier.

"Go back to hell where you belong!"

Dean marched over to the boy. He needed him to shut up. The insults had to stop. He had to die.

He raised the machete he was holding, looking straight into the boy's hazel eyes...

Hazel. The same color as Sam's.

_Sammy._

If he killed an innocent, just how disappointed would Sam be?

What the hell was he about to do?

Maybe Sam did stop believing in him, but he still could get that trust back...he could prove to Sam that he could control himself.

He had to stay Sam's big brother. Even if Sam didn't want him to. He couldn't let him down.

He didn't want to be this kind of demon. The kind of demon that he hunted and killed. The kind of demon that Sam would hate.

Dean dropped the knife, letting it clatter to the ground in an echoing thud.

The boy immediately stopped screaming, his eyes widening and his expression one of relief. He stood up and hurried away.

"I did it!" he said, speaking to someone else. "I got him and I didn't even have to die. You are right, he is weak!"

It took Dean just seconds to realize what he'd just stupidly walked into. The kid had been bait! What the fucking hell?

Did he even want to turn around?

Slowly, Dean forced himself to face the other side of the room.

He stopped breathing at the sight of the demon in front of him. He tried to teleport out of the building, only to find himself stuck.

He glanced up. Of course...there was a devil's trap painted on the ceiling.

The demon in front of him grinned evilly. "I won't mess up this time." Alastair laughed. "I'm going to make you into my best demon yet."

* * *

_Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. If you have a moment, I'd love to hear what you thought of this one to help with some motivation._


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of past rape and torture in this chapter.

"Sam….maybe he went out further. There's no sign of him. He's bound to come back on his own."

Sam clenched his fists around the steering wheel. "No. Something is wrong. I can feel it."

"How do you know though? It's probably just your worry for him coming into play."

How could he explain to Sadie that he drank his brother's demon blood and therefore, didn't just have strange powers, but could usually communicate with Dean via telepathy?

He had been trying and trying to contact Dean only to get the same result, his thoughts refused to leave his own mind. Dean had been right, the more fragile their bond was, the less the chance was that they could communicate with each other.

"I just have this connection with my brother Sadie. I can tell when something isn't right." It wasn't a lie, he and Dean always kind of had that sort of bond. "The angel Cas…he told us that Dean and I are soulmates. Not the typical romantic definition but…"

"But a unique bond only two people share with each other?" Sadie stated. "Two people willing to go to any lengths for each other and not willing to live without the other. I believe that Sam. There's no doubt in my mind when it comes to you two. If he could come back from Hell and not be evil…"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, running a hand over his face as he drove. "I need to find him Sadie. I'm not turning around until I can. If you want, I'll drop you off back at the hotel."

"No." She shook her head. "You're right. You have to get to him and I want to help. I just hope he's okay."

Sam sighed. "Me too."

* * *

Dean came to at the sound of two people arguing.

"But you promised me!" a voice was saying.

"True. But you should know never to trust a demon, especially not one that is the current kind of Hell."

It was Alastair with his typical creepy serial-killer voice of his. Great. Dean must have somehow gotten knocked out by him and dragged to whatever liar the demon was residing in. He tried to move his arms, only to find them stuck behind his back. He was handcuffed, and considering the way Dean felt weaker than usual, he figured the handcuffs were enchanted so that he couldn't use any of his powers.

Regardless, he shifted his body so he was staring in the direction of the conversation. Alastair stood hovering over the teenaged boy.

"I did exactly what you told me! I helped get him here! It worked! Now let me go please!"

It was the stupid kid that had helped Alastair to trick him. Heh, like begging was going to work. The boy really didn't have any idea with who he was working with, how sneaky the demon could be.

Alastair smirked evilly. "You showed some promise, but still…you couldn't get him to completely snap. It would have made my job much easier if he attacked or killed you. So...you still have some learning to do."

"No! I did everything I could! Did you see the look on his face? He wanted to kill me, but he's weak, just like you said!"

"But he didn't. You failed me and you need to learn to get better. Now you can learn the proper techniques…." Alastair pulled out a knife from his jeans. "In Hell."

The demon plunged the knife into the boy's heart. Stupid kid should have known better.

Dean was waiting for the ghost of the teen to appear, but it never did. Apparently, Alastair could kill and send the soul to Hell in one motion. He probably taught a lot of demons this technique.

Alastair looked down at the body mockingly and snapped his fingers. Immediately, it began to burn.

Great, now Dean was captured and had to smell burning flesh. How fun.

The white-eyed demon didn't waste any more time on the body, he turned and walked over to Dean with a sneer.

"Finally, you're awake. Took you long enough, it was just a simple iron bullet to the heart. You really weakened down here on Earth."

"What? Gonna send me back to Hell then?" Dean tried to give Alastair his best glare from the awkward position he was at.

"Now why do that when it didn't work the first time? I've learned from my mistakes Dean."

"Try whatever torture techniques you've got. You haven't learned anything that can break me."

Alastair shook his head as if he was disappointed. "Oh, don't you think I know that? This isn't going to be any physical torture. I went among the wrong path all those years ago. It may have helped carve you into a demon, but you're an exception….it didn't break you. Luckily, I did my research this time."

Dean tried to shift himself so he was sitting, but felt an intense pain in his chest. The iron from the bullet was still affecting him, probably would for another day or so. "You act like you know everything. What makes you think you can break me now when it took you this long to find me?"

The demon began chuckling, flashing his eyes to that eerie white film and Dean fought not to flinch at the memory those eyes brought. "Oh Dean! I thought you were smarter than you made yourself out to be. Apparently, I was wrong. I've known where you've been for a long time."

Just as Dean had suspected. He wasn't that dumb, but it may work in his favor if Alastair thought he was.

"How?" This was a question he actually didn't know.

"Let's just say I have some….inside sources."

It clicked that the thing Dean had been concerned about all along, having a spy for the demons in their hotel, had been true.

"So someone's been contacting you. Telling you where I'm going?" It would even explain the demon bowl. Although why would someone sneaky enough to spy for Alastair leave the bowl sitting out in the middle of the room?

"I've had ideas where you were all along. I knew you'd be with that hunter Bobby. But I had other issues to deal with at the time. We were keeping watch. Then the place burned down, didn't it?"

Dean simply glared at the demon. He tried not to gag as the rancid smell of the burning body continued to float through the air.

"Don't give me that look, that actually had nothing to do with me!" Alastair spoke as if he was reprimanding a child. "But once we learned of the fire, we figured we may have to capture you sooner than we thought in case you'd get away. Reinforcements were sent out to search the area and try and kill your people. Yes, the wendigos were working for me."

"You mean for Eve, who you're in cahoots with." Dean smirked.

Alastair actually had the decency to look shocked that Dean knew about this news. "Yes. And as you can see, I shouldn't have trusted her minions. Even under her orders, they weren't able to do as they were told. We lost track of you for a while, but we knew you'd come back to the city…"

"Your story is boring me," Dean stated. He had to play it cool no matter how much Alastair was actually scaring him. "Try and hurry before I fall asleep."

"That's right...sleep. You still need it. Another sign of how weak you are." Alastair shook his head as if he were ashamed. "No matter, we'll fix that. Now, as I was saying...I knew you would come back to the city. What a stupid decision. We may have lost track of you if you didn't. You should have known we'd be on the lookout for you."

"I can sense when you bastards are near and you can't sense me."

"That's true. When you're on the top of your game, even weak demons like you can sense others nearby. That's why my lookouts weren't demons."

Oh right, the spies. Just great. "So your spies told you when we came in town?"

"Of course, all they had to do was look for a black Impala. Really stands out. You took shelter in a house and I sent one of my most promised spies in there to gain inside access."

Dean couldn't help it as his mouth dropped open. "That woman...Hayley...son of a bitch!" He  _knew_  there was something off about her from the beginning!

Alastair smirked. "Yep, let the enemy right into your safe haven. She even planted a tracking coin in your car. That's how I knew where you were driving off to today."

"So...she's the one that had the blood bowl. She was contacting you...and purposely planted one there to get everyone framing me..."

"So you would storm out and leave. She was excellent in updating me and blending in. I bet you never assumed it could be her."

He was right. Dean had an odd feeling about her, but he had never considered she had been working for the demons.

"You see Dean...," Alastair continued, walking circles around him slowly. "You're never going to be safe away from us. We'll always find you. If you join us...there won't be any more worries and well...you'll be on the winning side."

Dean smirked. "You think I'll really just say 'yes' and go prancing around with you and murdering everyone?"

"Figured I'd give you the chance to admit you're just as much of an abomination as the rest of us. Now, you'll just have to suffer until you realize."

"Alright, then bring it on."

"Oh, it's not what you're expecting Dean. It will be much, much worse."

Alastair moved to walk behind Dean and pushed him down so he was lying on his stomach.

 _No._  No he better not... Dean began to struggle, his breathing picking up.

The demon's laughter filled the empty room. "Now, now, relax Dean-o. I did tell you this won't be your typical torture." Alastair unlocked the handcuffs and Dean immediately tried to teleport away. Of course it didn't work. So the handcuffs weren't the only thing halting his powers, this room was too.

Dean wasn't stupid enough to try and run or attack. He had the demon knife on him when he got captured, and now it was in Alastair's possession. He was completely defenseless and should consider himself lucky that Alastair didn't intend to kill him.

But was the reality of what was going to happen to him any better? No, it was probably worse.

If he could survive it long enough for Sam to get to him...

Sam would still come looking for him, right? No matter how much doubt Sam had in him...he wouldn't let him suffer. Sam even said in the journal that he could never kill him...he wouldn't let him die either.

But how would Sam even know Alastair captured him? Dean didn't even know where he was, so how would Sam?

There was a violent kick to his head and Dean felt his vision blur for a second. Physical attacks by a demon could be extremely painful to others, especially if the demon in question was white-eyed.

"Pay attention Dean," Alastair growled, no longer talking in his mock-friendly tone. "It's important to know what you're going to be expected of."

"Fuck you."

"I thought you had enough of demons fucking you in Hell," the demon stated snarkily. "Too bad I can't conjure up a fake Sammy to have..."

"You shut the hell up right now!" Dean was up off the ground and right in Alastair's face, ignoring the pain in his chest, not caring if the demon had Ruby's knife on him or not. "This is between me and you. You leave him out of it."

"Still caring for someone who doesn't care for you back...how pathetic..." Alastair paused when a few demons appeared in the room suddenly. Between them was a woman, crying and blindfolded. Her arms and legs were handcuffed to a metal chair.

"Took you long enough." Alastair glared menacingly at the demon cronies. "Now be gone."

In a split second, they vanished. Obviously, whatever Alastair had done to this room only prevented him from teleporting out of it, he was the only demon being affected. White-eyed demons were capable of greater powers like that.

The disgusting demon sauntered over to the woman, looking like a predator admiring his prey. He snatched he blindfold off of her, causing her to cry some more. "Recognize this little lady?"

Dean narrowed his eyes, she looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place her...

"I'm ashamed. I thought with your 'humanly' behavior, you would remember those you saved. This just shows that it's all an act Dean, you can try and try to pretend you're one of them, but it will never be who you really are. Poor, poor little Heather."

Heather...Heather...oh! The woman that had lived at Bobby's with the son that got bitten in the forest when they escaped from the farmhouse. Heather had stayed with her son. Dean had assumed that she would have gotten bitten once he turned.

"After those wendigos failed to kill you, we visited the house, hoping to capture you. We were too late, but we did pick up this sad excuse for a woman."

"And you decided to take her and tie her up because...," Dean did his best to sound bored.

"We tried to get someone you shared a past with...but when we couldn't...well I figured it didn't really matter, did it? As long as it was an innocent person."

Dean glared at him. Ellen and Carl...that's why they had been captured and kept in the cages. Alastair had originally wanted to use them. He didn't like where this was going, but it was best to play dumb. "And you're using her for what exactly?"

Alastair's white eyes gleamed with twisted joy. "You've never murdered an innocent soul. In order to truly break you...you're going to kill this woman or rot in this room for the rest of your life."

* * *

Sam saw the Impala as soon as they approached the town. He jumped out of the car he was driving the moment he parked it.

Dean had been here. He knew Dean hadn't left for good! He was here somewhere, he had to be!

As badly as Sam wanted to yell out Dean's name, he knew he couldn't. If someone else was here that was putting Dean in danger, it would cause them to go on alert. Also, if Dean was here alone and didn't want Sam to find him, he would try running away.

Sam just wanted to find his brother and never let him out of his sight again. They would fix this and work on what went wrong so nothing like this would ever come between them in the future.

There were Croat bodies lying about a hundred feet north of the Impala. Dean had probably fought them to release some aggression. Sam was familiar with that; Dean often did this to keep his mood in check and to let out some of that demonic frustration that came from being in Hell for so long.

But where would Dean have gone after he took care of the Croats?

"Sam?" Sadie had gotten out of the car and was slowly walking over to him. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"I don't know and I don't care. I have to find him."

Sadie didn't seem offended by his short response. "I…it's too quiet...I don't think he's here."

"Then we'll keep looking until we find out clues to where he could be!"

"Sam, hey..." Sadie approached him calmly and Sam realized just how quickly he was breathing. What if they couldn't find Dean? Find any hints to his whereabouts?

"We'll check every single one of these buildings," Sadie continued, her voice gentle. "There has got to be something. We won't leave until we know what to do next."

"He would never leave his car," Sam stated.

"I know. So he's either still here or someone got him, and we're going to get him back. I'm not losing any more of us, I won't allow it."

The fact that Sadie recognized and accepted Dean as one of their own, as part of a group, and not some tag-along demon gave Sam some strength. He could do this. He'd have help. He'd rescue his brother.

He led Sadie into a few empty buildings to no avail before noticing a small trail of blood. It was hardly recognizable in the dirt, and it wasn't demon blood because Sam would have been able to smell it. But it might still be a clue; it could have dripped from Dean's machete that he would have used to behead the Croats.

Sam slowly walked over to the building even though all was quiet. It didn't hurt to be safe even though everything in him was telling him to run inside and see if Dean was in there. But if it were a trap, getting himself killed wouldn't help Dean at all.

He motioned for Sadie to stay back. She nodded and aimed her gun at the doorway; it didn't help Sam to feel any safer. She wasn't even standing correctly and her arms were shaking. He actually hoped she wouldn't accidentally shoot him. He or Dean really needed to give her shooting lessons and at least teach her the proper stance. If they needed to leave the hotel, she'd never make it out in the world.

Sam figured it was now or never. He pointed to the door, letting Sadie know he was going inside and stealthily entered, prepared to fight off an attacker.

Instead, he found himself in an empty and dusty general store. At first glance, it would seem like just another ransacked building with debris and knocked over supplies everywhere, but there was something off about the corner of the room...

"What's over there?" Sadie asked, slowly walking into the building and following Sam's line of vision to the area he was looking at.

Sam walked closer and knelt down. There was a little bit of blood….demon blood.

And Sam would know that blood anywhere. Just the familiar smell of it created a calming effect on him. He didn't even have to taste it to know that is was the blood he drank every day. It was Dean's.

"It's Dean's blood," Sam stated, trying not to cause his voice to shake. There was just a little blood, so it wasn't like Dean had been fatally injured. Probably just hit or stabbed enough to knock him out.

"How do you know?" Sadie asked.

"I just do. I can't explain everything right now." Sam looked around the area some more, trying to find any other possible clues that could explain what happened to Dean. It didn't take him long before he found an odd substance on the ground, five feet away from Dean's blood.

"It's sulfur…," Sam told Sadie.

"Demons leave sulfur right?"

"Yeah, when they teleport."

"So Dean teleported away?"

Sam shook his head. "Dean can't teleport far distances. He only leaves a little sulfur behind, if any at all. The further they teleport the more sulfur they seem to leave behind. Look at all this. This demon was more powerful than Dean and just…." Sam rubbed some on his fingers and smelled it "…the sulfur is different from that of regular low ranked demons like Dean…it smells so much stronger and it's a thicker consistency."

"Do you think…," Sadie began to say carefully. "That with the blood…and now this…another demon took Dean away?"

Sam swallowed. His mind could only think of one possible solution.

"Alastair. He was always angry he couldn't break Dean like before. I know he's been looking for him." Sam looked around the room some more. How did Alastair corner Dean in here? Glancing at the ceiling in a desperate attempt to find a clue, he found his answer in the form of a devil's trap right above the spot with the blood.

He pointed it out to Sadie. "Look! A devil's trap. It's broken now. He somehow tricked Dean and trapped him in here and then broke it to get him out." Sam turned around and swiped his hand angrily against a table that was still upright, causing everything on top of it to shatter on the floor. "He took my brother and he's going to torture him and try to break him! He's the strongest demon there is right now and I have no clue where he took Dean!"

"Sam…relax…"

"I can't relax!" Sam stared at Sadie incredulously. "He's the demon that tortured Dean in Hell! The top torturer! Do you have any idea what Alastair's probably doing to him right now? I should have talked to him….he never should have been allowed to leave…" Sam paused for a moment, considering something. "Wait…Dean left because of that blood bowl…and somehow Alastair knew and was just waiting for him? He had this devil's trap already set up…."

Sadie shook her head. "No…you don't think someone placed the bowl it there to frame him, do you? Knowing that he would get upset and leave..."

"And walk right into the trap. That's exactly what I think happened." Sam ran both of his hands through his hair and over his face. "They…wanted him to be upset. They wanted people against him to get him even more angry. Dean was right all along…someone was framing him…someone is spying for Alastair from inside the hotel."

* * *

"Please let me go!"

Heather was nearly hysterical from the moment Alastair left and Dean rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself. He'd free her to shut her up if he could. But he couldn't even do that because he had no use of his powers. He only had the strength of a human...the lack of power made him feel uncomfortable and irritated.

He tried to push back that feeling and turned his attention to the table the minions had brought into the room after dropping off Heather. On top of it were a bunch of torture instruments, much like Hell.

Alastair had only said he needed to kill Heather, not torture her, but Dean knew all too well why he brought out the weapons. It was becoming clear.

The burnt body in the room filling the air with a rancid stench, the threats, the mention of Sam, the torture instruments…it was all to remind Dean of Hell. To get him to fall back into the same demon he was down there.

Dean knew that if he did give in and kill Heather, an innocent, it would release something in him that wouldn't be able to be contained without Sam. It would open the dam, so to speak, and he would give into torture that much easier, into the demon Alastair was determined to craft him into.

He turned back to the woman that was still busy crying. "I can't let you go. Are you that stupid that you can't understand he trapped me here?"

"But you can escape and take me with you! Please!"

"Alastair is the most powerful demon alive and you think I can just waltz out of here somehow? You do realize he probably has cameras all over this room."

Heather cried some more. "You're saying I'm never going to get out of here?"

"I'm saying our best chance is my brother. So sit and wait quietly so I don't have to deal with you. Or just talk calmly, it's not that hard."

Dean walked around the room, trying to get a feel of where they were. If he could just find out and then get in touch with Sam….but Dean hadn't been able to connect with him, to get his thoughts sent to his brother. What if…what if Sam wasn't looking at all? What if he did know Dean was missing and figured it was best to let him go? He did mention leaving him in the journal…but Sam wouldn't leave him when he was captured, would he? He'd at least look for him.

At least Dean thought so. Sam was his only hope.

"Do you know where we are?" Heather asked, sniffing.

Dean spun around to face her. "You don't know? Haven't you been captured for over a month?"

"They kept me blindfolded! They tortured me! They told me it would stop if I gave up the direction that you left the farmhouse."

"You know they were lying, right?"

Heather glared at him. "Well I know that now! They also told me they'd let me go. And they said….they said that the souls of people that die of infection…they go to Hell…please tell me they were lying about that too!"

Dean gave her a wary look. She had let her son turn after all. There was no way she was going to take this well…did he really want to deal with her crying again?

Then again, maybe if he did tell her the truth, she would finally trust him and cooperate with him if he needed her participation on possibly trying to escape from here.

"Sorry lady, that's the truth."

Heather's eyes watered up and her breathing hitched. "So my son is really in Hell? They promised me if I gave them information, they would free him too and I would get to see him! I never did see him…so I was hoping they made up the story about Hell…"

"Nope. They just gave you false promises to get your info. Never make a deal with a demon unless it's a crossroads one."

"My little boy…it's all my fault! I should have let you kill him when you offered!" She began to cry once again.

No…no more crying. Dean didn't think he could take it. He had to keep her talking to prevent her breaking down and driving him mad.

"Why did you let him turn?" he asked.

"I…there could be people that were immune right? I thought that maybe…and I didn't think it would hurt to wait it out. If he did turn I could…take his life then…I didn't know anything about Hell!"

"We don't know what they do to kids," Dean told her in an effort to calm her down. It was true anyway. "When I was down there, I never saw any. And even if you killed him before he turned…the demons found you guys anyway and would have captured his soul and taken it to Hell."

"Why? Why are they taking all of us? Don't they have enough souls down there? Look at how many people have died! Why do they want more? You're one of them, you know why!"

Dean approached her, a rage behind his eyes. "Don't you dare compare them to me. You know they hate me, you see what Alastair's doing to me, do you honestly think they would tell me anything?"

Heather shook her head wildly, the only thing she could do while cuffed to the chair. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just want to get out! I just want my son back!"

Dean backed up slowly, he couldn't allow himself get carried away. "If you want to get out, then chill out and help me try to figure out where we are."

But Heather only continued to cry.

* * *

"Okay, we've got to think this through," Bobby was saying.

"Think this through?" Sam's voice rose more than it already had. "This is  _Dean,_ Bobby! Alastair has him! Someone purposely let him get caught…it could be anyone here! We can't just sit here and  _think this through_!"

When he arrived back at the hotel with Sadie, he immediately called for a mandatory meeting with Ellen, Jo, Carl, Bobby and Marcy. He explained the situation as quickly as he could, with Sadie jumping in to fill in information when Sam became too frantic.

"Sam, we know you're worried…" Ellen began.

"Damn right I'm worried! This is my brother we're talking about! In the mindset he's in right now…"

"Sam is right," Carl spoke up. Thank goodness someone saw his reason to panic. "Dean's probably in a lot of trouble. We need to figure out what happened, but we need to do it fast."

"I just don't want us going into this without going through everything," Bobby said. "Trust me, I want nothing other than to find Dean and bring him back. But if we make decisions without properly thinking them through…we could get hurt, and so could Dean."

"He saved my life even though he didn't have to." Carl looked toward Sam. "I want to be able to do the same. Just tell me how to help and I will."

"What if it's Allen?" Jo suggested "He seems to hate Dean. It could have been him."

Sam had been thinking the same thing. If it weren't for the fact he had to inform everyone of the news, he'd be approaching Allen right now and threatening him to reveal anything he knows.

"Now Allen is an asshole." Bobby was looking at Sam in warning, as if he knew what he was thinking. "But we don't know if this was him. I don't think the man knows much about contacting demons. We need to talk to him, but not jump on him. Understand Sam?"

Sam nodded just to avoid argument. "Okay. Yeah, let's go find him now."

But before they could leave the meeting room, the door opened up and Castiel peered inside. Sadie had asked the angel to wait by the door because Ruby was due back soon.

"The female demon is at the door. She is yelling quite vulgar threats at me to allow her inside."

"Alright, stay in here and I'll let her in." Sadie left to undo the magical wards to the entry and in less than a minute, she was walking back in with an annoyed looking Ruby.

"What is this? I'm gone for a few days and apparently I hear that Dean's gone missing? Care to fill me in?"

"Finally, you're back. Please tell me you can help." Sam walked over to Ruby.

"Can't promise anything but I may know more than you idiots do."

Sam explained the situation to her, the blood bowl and Dean's behavior. Of him storming out and how they thought it was a trap, a set up.

Ruby looked thoughtful. "That's exactly what it sounds like. Someone wanted to get him mad and Alastair know about it. They wanted him emotionally unstable because it would be easiest to break him."

"He was already on edge before that too, and he wouldn't talk to me about it," Sam told her.

"He never talked to you? About the journal?" Ruby asked.

Wait, what? "Journal? What journal?"

Ruby looked at Sam oddly. "The shit you wrote about him in your journal. Something about how you couldn't trust him and were afraid he would snap? It's why he was so on edge."

Sam's mouth fell open. This was more than just a set up with the blood bowl; it went further than he had ever thought. No wonder Dean seemed so pent up, so frustrated and distant. He thought Sam didn't trust him….it all made sense now!

"Ruby…I never wrote anything like that."

The journal had been messed with. His brother was being emotionally manipulated; Alastair wanted to break their bond in order to get to his brother, to break Dean.

And if Sam didn't hurry…Alastair's plan may just work.

* * *

Dean forced himself to walk away from the obnoxious Heather and survey the room. There were no windows, the only door was completely bolted shut and had a devil's trap around it.

The room didn't look like anything spectacular. The walls were bare and the floor was a solid, single colored tile. It could be anything. Maybe used for storage, maybe an old meeting room that was cleared out.

Heather finally shut up...or cried herself dry, so Dean figured it was safe for him to talk to her. "The only thing I'm pretty certain on, is that we're in a basement." He waved his hands at the walls. "No windows. And we're most likely somewhere in Sioux Falls. But we gotta try and figure out what building this is. Then if I can contact Sam, I can give him an exact location."

Heather didn't even question Dean on how he would be able to get in touch with his brother. Good. He was too busy inspecting every corner of the room to deal with her. He was trying to see if there was any sign that could point him in the right direction to where they were. With nothing of any help, he walked over to the cart of torture tools, examining them.

"Don't! Please! We'll find another way!"

Dean glared at the woman. "I'm not going to use them, you idiot. I'm trying to see if there's any engraving on them to find out where the demons got them from. If there is, we're probably not too far from there."

Stupid woman still didn't realize he was different than the other demons? Did she not understand that he was resisting for a reason?

But Dean had to admit, just picking up the tools and having a victim sitting right there…it was tempting. He felt a pleasant buzz pass through him but he pushed it down.

_Focus on the task. Inspect the tools. Don't use them…no matter how obnoxious this woman may be. Get back to Sam._

Dean forced his hands to stop shaking as put down the drill and picked up a saw. He squinted at the small writing on the handle.

"You…Heather…I think we got something. Please tell me you're from Sioux Falls."

"Yeah…," she spoke feebly. "What is it?"

"Handy Man Supply Company? That ring a bell?"

Heather's tear-stained face lit up. "Yeah! That's on 6th street. My husband used to go there to..."

Dean didn't have time for her stories. "What's near there?"

She sighed as she considered. "Well...there's a few shops next to it..."

"What building would be large enough to have a basement with rooms this big?"

"Umm...the library is just around the corner from there..."

The library! Of course. That was the place that Ellen and Jo almost got ransacked by demons...where Dean had to turn the Impala around because he sensed too many nearby.

And if his powers were working...he would be able to sense a bunch of them right now.

The good news was that Dean knew the room wasn't preventing his telepathy with Sam. It was only blocking his demonic strengths and the telepathy was fueled by something different...by his bond and connection with Sam.

He could feel the thoughts trying to send to his brother, they just weren't reaching him. It was probably because they had been fighting and their bond was currently damaged that they couldn't communicate. But how would he try and repair that bond when Sam wasn't here to talk to? When he was still so upset with Sam for the journal entries?

"So this is good then right?" Heather interrupted Dean's moody pondering. "You said you'd be able to tell Sam somehow? Can you do it now?"

"No." Dean grumbled.

"But you said..."

"It's too damn difficult to explain. I said if I  _could_  get in touch with Sam. I'm trying."

"What if you can't? What if we're stuck here..."

Heather let out a yell of surprise and Dean jumped in place at the sudden teleportation of Alastair into the room.

"You two are chit chatting? What about?"

Dean was suddenly feeling very lucky that the demon couldn't hear them over the cameras that he knew had to be recording them.

Alastair walked over to the torture tools and looked back and forth between Dean and Heather, shaking his head in disgust.

"I have to say Dean, I'm very disappointed in you. You showed so much promise."

Dean shrugged carelessly. "That's right, I've disappointed Dad, Sammy and now you…gotta keep the streak alive."

"Don't worry, you've got the rest of…well eternity to prove yourself to me. And all it's going to take is…." Alastair picked up one of the knives from the table, walking over to Heather. He slowly dragged the blade down her forearm, causing her to scream. "…just one little kill."

"Well I've got to say I'm disappointed in you." Dean tried to ignore the woman's screams; tried to push down the urge to cause her pain and focused his rage on the demon. "This is nothing. I thought you had more in you. I'm perfectly content to just sit here. This technique of yours isn't going to break me."

"Oh Dean…." Alastair turned his attention from the knife to the other demon in the room. "You forget I know you better than anyone….even your precious little brother."

"Just because you tortured me for decades doesn't mean you know me more than my brother, or know me at all." Dean clenched his fists, every time this damn demon mentioned Sam; it just made him angrier, allowed more rage to fill him.

"But I do. I know that you are actually scared right now, hanging on by a thread that's getting closer and closer to…snapping. I know exactly what will get you to break and I don't care how much time it takes."

Alastair walked back over to the table, placing the bloody knife down. "Every time I come in here and you haven't done anything to her…I'm going to hurt her."

"Go ahead. I don't care about her." Dean knew that wasn't the point though, the point was to have him viewing torture, to make him crave it. Still...he'd be able to push down the urge just fine...he'd just sit there and watch, it wouldn't cause him to break. Alastair knew this though...he probably had something else up his sleeve with this plan.

The demon ignored his statement. "And another thing…when's the last time you ate Dean?"

Dean looked at his tormentor warily. "Why the hell would you care?"

Alastair smirked. "I can hear that stomach of yours growling. Weak failures like you don't have the power to ignore hunger, thirst or sleep. Not being able to eat or drink…it's going to wear down on your body, you'd be stuck in a body that's slowly dying. It would…well….drive you insane, don't you think?"

Oh shit. "You're going to starve me out."

"Just figuring that out? Weak and stupid, you'll break in no time." Alastair folded his bloody hands in front of him, a stance that didn't match his dangerous tone. "I may be feeling generous though. Every time you do get closer to hurting her…you'll be rewarded. A glass of water…a snack…"

"Well then keep your food and water for you minions, because it won't be used on me. I'm not that desperate."

"We'll see Dean…we'll see…"

And with that he was gone.

Dean may have attempted to put up a brave front but deep down…he knew…

He was already unraveling. He might be able to hold on for a while but…without Sam….knowing he didn't have his brother's trust and support…Dean was losing it.

Sam's companionship and belief in him was the one thing that kept him going, kept him away from any urges and helped retain whatever humanity he had left. Without that…

It was just a matter of time.

* * *

_Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I loved reading everyone's reactions to what happened. Please leave a note to let me know what you thought of this chapter._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 21**

"He told me it was your writing," Ruby said. Even she looked confused.

"I would never write anything like that about my brother." Sam gritted his teeth. "Why wouldn't you tell me about this! It could have all been avoided if…"

"I'm not getting in the middle of the drama between you two," she seethed. "Plus, he said he was going to talk to you. I was actually being decent and told him there's no way you'd feel like the journal was saying."

Dean had already been wary about Sam's feelings because of this journal…and then the blood bowl had happened…and Sam had questioned him…

And Dean took it the wrong way, leading to him getting captured.

How could Sam have been so stupid as to not demand Dean talk to him? This was all his fault…

"Ruby, come with me. I'm looking at that journal."

Ruby was smart enough not to argue as they left the room.

"Let's just make this quicker." She turned to Sam. "I'll teleport you up there?"

Normally, Sam would have denied that. While he didn't think Ruby was going to betray them, he still would never fully trust her. But now, no time could be wasted.

"Yeah, hurry up."

Ruby grabbed his arm, more roughly than Dean would have, and in a second, they were inside the hotel suite.

Sam rushed into the office area. He usually left his journal sitting on the desk, and there it was…right where he left it.

Who would have gotten in here? Only he, Dean, Bobby and Sadie had a key to the room…

"Ruby…you didn't do this, did you? Or teleport someone up here to do it? Because I swear…"

"Relax you idiotic sasquatch. If I had done this, would I really be helping you? I know you would kill me on the spot if I messed with Dean in any way. I know not to get between you two codependent morons."

"Then who could have gotten a key? They couldn't have swiped mine or Dean's or Bobby's…we'd have known. Sadie's…"

"What if it was her?" Ruby shrugged.

"It wasn't Sadie. It wouldn't make any sense for it to be her. Someone could have taken her key….but…"

Ruby suddenly looked insightful. "You know when someone would have had the perfect chance to swipe something from her?"

Sam thought for a moment. "The…the Croat attack! It was the demons that infected Jody…they probably did it to start this plan….so the spy could get into our room…and the blackout…that wasn't a coincidence…" It was all coming together.

"But wasn't the kid in the room at the time?" Ruby was mentioning Aiden.

He would have…. "Wait…no…Aiden told me he had run out onto the balcony because he heard the noises and was too scared to come back into the room in case Croats got him. Dean only found him out there after it was all over…"

"Well, we can consider all that later. Just read the journal and see if you can find any clues in there."

The truth was…Sam was delaying reading it. Why bother? He already knew it had to have been horrible and convincing to get Dean to feel like he had. Reading it would just make him feel even worse.

But Ruby was right. There may be some sort of clues on that page.

Sam opened the journal, flipping through it quickly. Whatever the spy had wrote, had to be the last entry...

Sam nearly ripped the notebook in two after reading the words written down on the page.

They were worded just perfectly as to cause doubt and fear but not be overly dramatic. Dean wouldn't have guessed foul play. The concerns written down...they were stemmed from things Sam actually did worry about. He did worry about his brother keeping himself in check, but only for Dean's own sake...not because he was worried about him hurting people.

But the thing about Sam not trusting Dean...about thinking of leaving him...that couldn't be further from the truth.

All of it though...it  _was_  written in handwriting that eerily mimicked his own. Of course Dean would believe the words because of that fact alone.

"Ruby...we have to find out who did this  _now_." He didn't even care at how cold his voice sounded. "Dean thinks I've given up on him."

"Yeah, you think I don't get that? But how are we going to single out that person? There's nothing in there that doesn't give some kind of hint?"

Sam was beginning to get frustrated. "What kind of hint would it even be?"

"I don't know! Somewhere this person might have slipped up to reveal who they are? I'm just attempting to help. Remember, I'm a demon and probably don't give the best advice."

"Well, the first suspect is Allen," Sam pointed out. "Who is more likely to do this than the person who hates Dean the most here? Now come on, let's go question him."

Ruby teleported him back downstairs and Sam didn't even have to go search out Allen. It turned out that Bobby had found him and ordered him into the meeting room. The man looked confused and irritated but Sam didn't care. He marched right up to him and got in his face.

"What the hell did you do to my brother?" he growled.

Allen shoved Sam away from him. "Get off of me! I haven't even seen that stupid demon in days!"

Sam took a step forward and grabbed Allen's shirt, causing the man to look rightfully frightened. "If you call my brother stupid one more time..."

"Sam..." Bobby stepped forward and grabbed Sam's shoulders, slowly trying to pull him back. "That won't get him to talk any sooner, it will just make him more stubborn."

He knew Bobby was right, but that didn't make Sam want to back off. He had to though, if he wanted to get any kind of information and find Dean quicker. So he let go of Allen's shirt, not without pushing him a bit first.

"I don't like him but that doesn't mean I would try doing anything to him." Allen looked right at Sam. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to mess with a demon? I know what he would be capable of, he could kill me with a thought!"

"Obviously you're stupid enough," Sam said. "You complain about him and you know how upset it will make him. Of course I'm going to think you would try something to get rid of him."

"I only said something in front of his face once!" Allen huffed and Sam realized it was true. "Every other time, he wasn't in the room! I mainly just try and stay away from him."

"I don't believe this man is intelligent or patient enough to be working for demons," Castiel spoke up from where he had been quietly standing.

Allen looked like he didn't know whether to be offended or thankful over the angel's comment. "Working for demons? Other demons took him? If I don't like Dean then why the hell would I like demons that are worse than him?"

The man did have a point and he had admitted that the other demons were worse than Dean. While Allen seemed incapable of noticing the good in Dean enough to trust him, at least he knew he wasn't like the others.

"And besides!" Allen kept talking. "What about this guy right here!" He pointed at Castiel. "You all say he's an angel, and don't angels hate demons? Wouldn't he want Dean gone?"

Sam knew deep down that Castiel couldn't have anything to do with it, but still…it wouldn't hurt to ask. He had to consider any possible spy. What if Castiel had made a deal with Alastair in the time he was away? It was hardly likely and wouldn't make much sense…

"I have no desire to see harm brought upon Dean. While I was surviving, I had demons attempting to capture me as well. They wish for me dead and I consider them my enemy."

Sam sighed and sat down in the nearest chair, trying to calm the headache that he felt coming on. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. "I believe you. But it could be anyone. How the hell are we going to find out? Every minute I waste…"

Sam heard someone approach him and kneel down. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Bobby. The older hunter put a hand on Sam's knee as a show of support.

"We'll find him, boy. Don't you worry about that. We'll figure out who did this. But we can't go announcing what happened to anyone else in case they get suspicious. We have to look for clues."

"But if the journal was written in during the blackout and attack…it's not like we can even ask anyone if they saw anything suspicious. They were all running for their lives…"

"What about Ruby?" Allen bellowed. "She could be working for them!"

"Shut up," Sam told the man. "I already questioned her."

"I might know someone who would know," Sadie spoke and everyone in the room turned to face her. "My friend Nikki…the one who died and is a spirit in the hotel. I haven't tried to talk to her in a while because of everything that was going on….but she wouldn't have been running away from Jody. She might have seen something!"

Sam stood up, fighting off the dizziness he was feeling over his worry for his brother. "And Ruby…if Nikki can't materialize, you'll still be able to see her. You can talk to her."

Ruby huffed. "Going to keep using me? You all owe me after we find Dean's stupid ass."

While Sam could admit to himself that she had a point, all he could think about at the moment was that they might finally have a lead.

And that was one step closer to rescuing Dean.

* * *

Dean mustered up the most bored expression on his face as he watched Alastair torture Heather.

This plan of his was stupid. Dean didn't see the point. Yes, it was tempting to take over but…he easily pushed that desire down. Alastair would come in on the hour and shake his head at Dean, then resume torturing the woman who got more hysterical every time. She seemed to give up hope a little more every hour.

This time, the demon stopped the torture early. He placed the knife down and turned to Dean.

"What's the matter Dean? Got nothing interesting to say?"

Dean smirked. "All I'd have to say is how lame your strategy is and how it's not working at all. But I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear that."

"You just don't understand the genius of what I'm doing. It's much more than meets the eye, but you've always been a simple minded one."

"Being simple minded kept me from turning into a rampaging monster though."

Alastair shook his head, glaring down at Dean from where he sat on the hard floor. "No, no…don't try and play me Dean. What kept you from going insane was the brother of yours. You held out hope that he would still care for you…and it looks like you were wrong."

Dean tried to keep his expression neutral to avoid letting Alastair know he was right. "Yeah? And how would you know that?"

"I can read it all over your face. You're still very…humanized. You don't know how to hide your emotions like all other demons. You've gotten softer than you even were in Hell."

"Go tell this to someone who cares."

"Which wouldn't be your brother, right?" the demon smirked wickedly. "But what if I told him anyway? What if I burned down that pretty little hotel with him inside of it?"

That caused Dean to stand up. "Don't you dare."

"Why not? He gave up on you didn't he? Why bother to hold on if the only reason you were has stopped believing in you?"

 _Because we can fix this. I know he's looking for me._  Dean thought to himself.  _If I can hold on till Sam rescues me then it will prove to him that he doesn't have to worry about me._ He really hoped that was the truth

Alastair walked up to Dean and grabbed his arm right where he had been stabbed with the demon-killing knife, pressing down hard with an incredible strength. "Really? You're not going to say something? You still hope your brother is coming for you? Why would a man come to rescue a demon that he is convinced is going to snap?"

Dean bit down on his lip so hard that it drew blood. His arm was pulsating with an intense pain and he tried to pull away on instinct. Wrong choice. The pain only got worse due to the movement and had him falling towards the floor.

Alastair let go and Dean fell in a crumpled heap, trying to desperately hold onto consciousness.

"Pathetic," Alastair spat at where Dean lay. "Worthless crippled demon with feelings. Let go of all that, unleash your darkness, grab a stronger body and you'd be all set. No more little brother holding you down, no more fighting against your urges...just think about it..."

When the pain filled haze faded away, Dean couldn't help but think of it. Fighting his demonic instincts wasn't very hard when he had Sam by his side...even when he freaked out; Sam was there to bring him back.

But apparently, he didn't have that support anymore. Who knew how long Sam had been faking it? The younger brother could pretend all he wanted, but now that Dean knew the truth, it just wasn't the same. He couldn't continue to fight and hold on to the things that made him... _Dean_...without having the trust and support of his younger brother.

Sam was the whole reason he even bothered to come back. He could have really been someone in Hell if he had wanted to.

 _No._ He'd rather die than be one of those things.

Being a demon was one thing, being a _monster_  was a different story.

But what was the benefit in holding on?

Dean looked up to see that Alastair had vanished once more. He grunted and pulled himself up to his feet with some difficulty.

"Please...," Heather was crying.

"If you haven't noticed, I can't do anything to help you," Dean snapped.

"Yes you can...you can kill me."

Dean turned to look at her. "Wait, what?"

"Please just let it end! I can't stand any more of this. When he brought me here...I thought there might be some hope. But there's not...it's only going to get worse. If you kill me...it will just all be over."

Dean shook his head. Now she  _wanted_  to die? "No, it won't be over. He'll just send your damn spirit to Hell as soon as I do. Trust me, what's gonna happen to you there is much worse than the wimpy ass torture he was doing do you."

Heather didn't back down. "If there's so many people being sent down there...maybe I'd have a chance to hide out, to run. Maybe there aren't enough demons to torture all the souls. I'm going to end up there regardless, it might as well happen sooner to spare me any more pain...please...I could see my son, keep him safe!"

"You know you can't ask that of me. It's what he wants! If I kill you, I'll break down...I'm already barely holding it together as it is!"

"I'm begging you!"

Dean was hardly able to keep his sanity without the woman telling him to give in. "Shut up!"

"Please!"

Dean marched over and grabbed Heather by the shoulders. "I said no!" He shook her hard, his voice coming out as nearly a growl. "I won't do it!"

Dean was breathing harshly, glaring right into Heather's shocked eyes. It was her expression that made him realize just how he was digging his fingers into her arms, how it must hurt her. He could feel that rage closer than ever before. She was covered in blood, and when Dean lifted up one hand, he saw the sticky substance coating it.

The blood triggered something in him, made him lose almost any rational thoughts that might be going through his mind. He clenched down on Heather's arms again, nearly snarling, and was brought back to Hell. How effortless it was to torture down there….how he was encouraged to do so. Torturing had actually made him happy. Why not give in and finally make someone proud…he could finally be good enough…finally do something  _he_  wanted….

It would be so easy to hurt her...she wanted it anyway...

Dean looked back at Heather's face and was flashed back to how Sam used to look at him just the same...back when they first reunited...when Sam was convinced he wasn't Dean. Sam had been afraid he was just like any other demon, scared of him...he hadn't believed his brother was still in there...

If he gave in, he'd be exactly what Sammy had feared.

He didn't want this.

Dean released Heather's arms, backing up slowly, shaking his head. He was going to go crazy if this kept up...but right now...in this moment...he was still able to hold back.

Alastair appeared back in the room and Dean didn't even have the energy to be shocked.

"Good job there Dean! You finally hurt her. But it's too bad you gave up before any real pain could start. For your efforts, here's some water." The demon placed a glass full of the clear liquid on the table with the torture instruments. "No food until she's dead."

He teleported away just as Dean realized what was going on.

Alastair wasn't torturing Heather to make Dean crave it, he had been torturing the woman to break her, to have her beg for it to end. Dean was her only option of release. Alastair knew that having a willing subject would get to Dean much easier than simply watching Heather get tortured.

Then the water, a promise of something good to come...rewarding his violent behavior.

The demon was really playing the physiological card more than Dean had assumed.

He couldn't let the bastard win.

Dean let out an almost-feral yell and reached out towards the table with his good arm in anger, swiping at the water glass. It shattered on the floor and most of the torture tools fell along with it.

The action should have made him feel better, but he just felt more lost than ever.

* * *

Sam woke up in a cold sweat, panting with a scream lost in his throat. He felt disoriented and his head hurt...

He had just had a vision. A vision of Dean being manipulated by Alastair...of him almost giving into harming a victim the demon had placed in front of him.

Sam ran to the bathroom, he almost didn't make it to the toilet in time as he threw up the little that had been in his stomach.

Oh god...this was worse than Sam had imagined...Alastair was mentally torturing Dean...playing with his emotions and the state of his mind. Dean still believed in the journal...he wasn't going to be able to hold on for much longer.

Sam dry heaved for a moment more before forcing himself to stand up. He washed out his mouth and gargled quickly, trying not to waste precious seconds that could be the difference between rescuing Dean and losing him forever.

What had once been hope that Sadie could contact her spirit friend had only turned into disappointment and another mystery. Her friend was not in the hotel room that she had died in and always seemed to stay in. Ruby was searching the entire building to no avail. What would have caused the spirit to leave? What had happened to her?

They were back at square one now.

Sam walked back over to the desk where the journal sat. He never meant to fall asleep but had passed out in the middle of the night while making notes of everyone in the hotel and how to question them on Dean.

But did it really matter? It wasn't like he would be able to figure out who the spy was just by questioning them. Alastair would have hired only the best for this job.

It was still dark out, probably four in the morning but Sam couldn't be bothered to check the clocks. He turned on the desk lamp and opened the journal to the dreaded entry. The handwriting looked exactly like his...how that was even possible, he didn't know.

What was he kidding in looking at this again? All it was doing was wasting time that could be spent on something more productive. Sam went to close the notebook, when something caught his eye in the light of the lamp.

There was a hair. A long, thin strand of hair caught in the spirals between the paper. He untangled it as quickly but carefully as he could, holding it up to the light.

It was brown. And the hair was pretty long. No men in the hotel had hair this long. This majorly narrowed down the suspects...it was a brunette woman.

Sam was barely down in the lobby for a minute before Sadie was running up to him, frantic.

"I found a clue!" Sam told her before she could say anything. "There was a brown hair in the journal that belongs to a woman."

"Well, wait until you see what we found. Nikki was trapped in a closet! She saw something Sam...I wanted to find you so we can talk to her right now. " Sadie managed a smile "We're about to get some answers."

Sam followed her down the right wing hallway where they approached a door near the elevators. Looking inside, Sam was shocked to see that the ghost had made herself corporeal, and she was fuming with anger, trapped inside the small maintenance room by a line of salt.

"What the hell…" Sam shook his head in disbelief.

Nikki flickered before their eyes. She might not be able to hold her corporeal form much longer. They had to hurry.

"Nikki, what happened?" Sam asked.

The ghost turned to Sam, anger filled her eyes. "Some stupid bitch trapped me in here because I was following her!"

 _Her._  It was definitely a woman that started all of this.

"Who was she?" Sadie asked. "What was she doing?"

"Well, the Croat lady was running around and the power went out. I went to see what was happening. Everyone was panicking right? Except this lady! She was going up the stairs! I thought it was weird so I followed her."

"She went into our room right?"

The look Nikki gave him was that of fear. "Not only that, she started writing something in a notebook. She…did some sort of spell on this pen she had…sounded like dark magic or something…then she started writing a whole bunch of garbage…"

"That was how she was able to copy my handwriting." Sam gasped. "She probably learned the spell from Alastair or made some deal with the demons to become a witch."

"Well, whatever she did to be able to do that…it pissed me off," Nikki said. "You and Dean are the best chance at me being able to get into heaven and keeping the demons away from me. I followed her back down here and I could feel myself growing stronger because I was so angry…"

"Shit, you didn't approach her did you?" Ruby sighed.

"I know, it was stupid. But I found myself becoming corporal before I could help it. She saw me and I told her she wasn't going to get away with it. She fought with me, won, shoved me in here and of course there just happened to be a bag of rock salt that she used to trap me."

"What did she look like? Do you know who she was?"

Nikki shrugged. "It was dark. She had long hair, light brown or dark blonde? A little taller than me? Oh…she also sliced open her arm…probably to fake an injury in the attack. Anyone that needed to be treated for a deep cut lately?"

A bandage on her arm…brown hair…

"It's Hayley!" Sam gasped. "I was just in the hospital-ward room with her and she said she fell on some glass in the attack…"

"She's a good liar..." Nikki growled, flickering once more. "I wish I could get my hands on her and strangle…"

Sam thought he should try and calm Nikki down and give her a speech on how to relax in order to not become a vengeful spirit, but he didn't have time for any of that. He turned to Sadie.

"Where is Hayley's room?"

Sadie didn't even try to tell Sam to take it easy. She broke the salt line to allow Nikki out and then went into the lobby, Sam and Ruby following. She unlocked one of the drawers in the main desk and pulled out a hotel map. The names of all the survivors were listed above the room they resided in.

"308." She told them. "Come on, let's get to the third floor."

Sam and Ruby followed Sadie to the elevator, only for Ruby to sigh.

"Your ghost friend is standing here, she wants to come up too."

Apparently, Nikki couldn't hold onto her corporeal form any longer. The last thing Sam needed right now was an angry spirit going vengeful to get back at Hayley and ruin everything.

"She can't come up," Sam said. "If she wants to remain sane she has to let it go. We're going to take care of Hayley. She's not getting away with what she did."

"It doesn't look like ghosty is going to listen." Ruby was glaring at what appeared to Sam as an empty spot in the hallway.

"Then watch her," Sadie said, obviously worried for her friend.

"Do I look like a babysitter to you?"

"Ruby please." Sam was practically begging. "We can't have her ruining this. And we also shouldn't have you up there wanting to torture her or anything."

"I want in on some of the action." Ruby folded her arms.

"You can. Trust me. You better come with me to rescue Dean…"

"Don't worry, I'll help you save the stupid buffoon. Place is too boring here without him."

With that, it was just Sam and Sadie that went up to the third floor. They were dead silent on the elevator and the walk to the hotel room.

"I should have known something was up," Sadie whispered as they walked. "No one else is staying on this floor. I should have realized it was weird that she wanted to be all by herself. But I figured some people liked privacy."

"No, it's my fault." Sam sighed. "Dean had told me a bunch of times that he had bad feelings about this girl. But I didn't listen…I just thought he didn't like her. If I lose Dean because of this when I could have prevented it by just listening to him…"

"Sam don't." Sadie grabbed his arm. "No one would have expected her. Even Dean didn't assume she was a spy. You can't think like that…and you're not going to lose Dean. We're going to rescue him and she's going to tell us where he is."

Sam nodded. He would find Dean. And Hayley wouldn't get away with what she did to him. They approached the door to room 308 and Sam didn't waste anytime with a proper greeting as he mustered up all his strength and kicked at the wooden door twice, causing it to break.

The woman jumped up from her bed in shock, screaming and pulling out a knife. Once she saw Sam, her eyes filled with a knowing that she quickly tried to hide. It was too late, Sam already read the truth in that expression. He knew for certain that it was her.

"Sam…" She glanced over at the other person in the room. "Sadie? What…"

Sam didn't give her time to say anything else. He approached her, and got right up in her face.

"Don't give me that shit. You know exactly why we're here."

"I don't…please let go of me!" she said in an innocent tone. It was a good act, but it wasn't going to work.

"Shut the hell up, I don't want to listen to your lies anymore." Sam growled. "Tell me where my brother is right now."

"Is Dean missing? Oh Sam, I'm sorry…" she put her hands on his shoulders and tried to go in for a comforting hug.

She didn't get the chance to. Sam grabbed her shirt and threw her into the wall, a knife falling out of her sleeve from the impact. "Don't you play that act with me! What the hell is this?" He gestured to the knife; had she been trying to stab him?

Hayley ignored his question and went from looking sad to scared. She began trying to kick him. "I didn't touch him! Get off of me you weirdo!"

"Sam look at this!"

He turned his head enough to see that Sadie had pulled out some demonic looking books and a bowl that had obviously had blood in it at one time.

Sam pulled up Hayley's sleeves to see that she had numerous cuts on her palms and upper forearm other that the gouge that was bandaged.

"Oh yeah, you're completely innocent right? Not talking to Alastair at all are you? We talked to Nikki, the spirit you trapped. She saw what you did."

Immediately, Hayley dropped her act and an angry scowl took over her face. "It's too late now. He already has Dean."

Sam shoved her as he let go. It wasn't like she was going to be able to get past him to escape.

"You tell us and we'll spare your pathetic life." Sam glared at her.

"You wouldn't kill me! You're a wimp and a goody-goody just like your brother!"

Sam walked over to her, shoving her into the wall once again. He pulled out a knife and pressed it against Hayley's face. "You want to bet? You sent Dean to Alastair. That's just as bad as trying to kill him. You don't mess with my big brother and get away with it! You want to tell us what you know, or do you want to slowly get eaten by some Croats?"

"I can't believe you're handling a woman this way! You should be ashamed," she spat.

"Oh you're no woman, you're a damn monster. You just tried to stab me. You're working for demons…and you're not even sorry about it."

Hayley didn't seem fazed by the comment. "You think I'm bad for working with one? I'm just doing what it takes to survive in this new world. You  _love_  a demon and you think I'm the twisted one?"

"Of course I do. He's my  _brother_."

"And that makes it any better? That means it's okay?"

Sam pushed Hayley so she was sitting on the bed and he glared down at her. "Dean isn't out murdering thousands of people. Dean isn't intent on destroying the world and enslaving humans. Dean is  _helping people_."

"He doesn't  _want_  to help people. I saw how he gets. He didn't even want to save your friends when the demons captured them!"

"Do you expect a demon to want to? He may not want to, but he did it anyway. He doesn't go out wishing to hurt innocent people. He struggles and he's darker but he's under control, he's still a damn good man."

"He won't be after Alastair gets through with him." Hayley had the nerve to smirk.

Sam's blood was boiling. Before he could even process what to do or say to that comment, Sadie stepped next to him.

"I think you and your demon buddy are really underestimating Dean. He's stronger than you give him credit for."

"Alastair's been planning. He'll break him, he knows what to do."

Sadie laid a hand on Sam's shoulder in comfort, trying to tell him silently not to take these words to heart. "Listen, I know you had to be desperate to make a deal with Alastair, that he forced you to do this...it can be all over now if you just help us."

Hayley let out a laugh so evil sounding, it was hard to believe she ever passed as an innocent and scared woman. "You think he forced me to? I sought out the demons! I asked to join their team. You think I was some pretty little housewife? Do you know what I did in my life before? I robbed, sold drugs, and wasn't afraid to murder anyone that got in my way."

Any reservations about harming or killing this woman left Sam's mind. She  _was_  a monster, a murderer. She was just as bad as the demons.

"I bet I pass as a sweet young woman, huh? That's why Alastair picked me. I proved myself before, and no one would suspect me. I was always around, you guys never paid attention to me. I picked up so many juicy conversations."

"So what you heard and what Alastair told you about Dean...you knew exactly what to write in that journal."

"Good job. Too bad you didn't catch on sooner. It's also too bad you rescued Ellen and Carl, it was me that alerted the demons when they were leaving so they could capture them..."

Sam couldn't help it when he slapped her across the face. "You tell me where Dean is right now!"

Sadie grabbed his arm. "Sam...don't..."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get my brother back...she doesn't deserve me to go easy on her!"

"I'm missing all the fun!"

Everyone turned their heads to see Ruby standing in the center of the room.

"But Nikki..." Sadie started, concerned that Ruby was supposed to be watching her troubled friend.

"She calmed down, agreed to be salted into one of the motel rooms until this bitch is gone so she won't feel the need to slaughter her." Ruby folded her arms as she looked at Sadie. "I have an idea and need to talk to Sam, you get out and go tell old man Bobby and all those other idiots what's going down."

Sadie didn't put up a fight. She turned and left the room, letting whatever was about to happen come into play, but not wanting to be there to witness it.

"Okay, hurry," Ruby told Sam. "I doubt she's gonna talk, so let me possess her. I can't get out of my body alone with this lock ward, so you need to help me."

Sam didn't understand. "Possess her? Why?"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Hayley growled.

"Shut up bitch." Ruby literally spat on her and turned back to Sam. "If I possess her, I can read her thoughts. We can find out everything we need to in minutes."

"Let's do it," Sam agreed immediately. Normally, he would have trepidations about letting Ruby do this or if she would even tell him the correct information on what Hayley knew.

But he didn't have time for doubts. This could save Dean.

Sam concentrated and took out Ruby's soul quickly, barely giving Hayley any time to react before she was being possessed by the black smoke.

The woman's eyes opened up to reveal Ruby's black ones. She was silent for a few moments and Sam let her process whatever thought of Hayley's she was gathering.

"Well what do you know." Ruby smirked. "I know exactly where Alastair is keeping your Deanie. Sioux Falls main library."

The library that Ellen and Jo had been staying in and almost didn't make it out because demons ransacked it, of course! It made perfect sense if it was some base of theirs. But it also made it more difficult to rescue Dean if it was so heavily populated.

But they'd figure out a way. He'd get to Dean on time.

"So you have all the information you need?" Sam asked.

"Yep, told you it was quick. She's done a lot of nasty shit too."

Sam stepped forward, and plunged the blade he was carrying into Hayley's heart.

"Ouch, that's cold." Ruby looked down at the wound. "I like this new attitude of yours, taking after big brother, I see."

"Don't heal it," Sam ordered.

"I wouldn't dream of it." The demon quickly left the dying body and Sam put her back in her original host just before Bobby walked into the room.

* * *

"Just make it as painless as possible, please!"

Dean stood over Heather with a knife. Just one stab to her heart, it wouldn't be much. Maybe he would be okay. Maybe it wouldn't affect him so bad. She did want it after all, it wasn't like he'd be killing someone random for fun.

It would be so easy...and it would get her to shut up to. The next person Alastair brought in would probably be less annoying...

But then, what would stop him from just making another easy kill? And then another, and another...until he lost all control and gave in.

Dean threw the blade at the wall with such force and strength, it embedded itself into it.

"Come on!" The woman sobbed. "Why won't you just do it! It shouldn't be this hard!"

Dean would hit her hard enough to knock her out, but at this point, even harming her in any way might set him off...

"Lady, any other given day, I'd give you what you wanted in a heartbeat." Dean's voice was so low he almost didn't recognize it. "You ask, I'll do it and I wouldn't feel a thing. But not in this mindset. I'll hulk out if I give in now."

"So what! You're a demon! Aren't they all like that? Just let it happen, won't it eventually anyway?"

It wouldn't as long as he had Sammy by his side.

But hey, Sam was eventually going to die and go up to heaven, so he would give into darkness in time, why not do it now? The whole thing about Sam wanting to find a way for them to stay together had just been a lie. He didn't want Dean around even now, much less for all of eternity. The soulmate bond was broken...

But if it was broken, how come it didn't feel like it was? If the soulmate thing was such a two way street, then shouldn't Dean feel the same lack of care toward Sam that his brother did toward him?

It just didn't make any sense. But he couldn't deny the words.

"I almost thought I had you there." Alastair's voice filled the nearly-empty room. "You're making this more difficult than it should be, Dean."

"You know I'm never one to make things easy."

"Maybe things will go a little easier if I tell you that little brother is going to be in real danger very soon."

Dean felt every hair on his body stand on edge. "You're a liar."

"Really? I know exactly where little Sammy is staying."

"You can't get into that hotel."

"I can burn it down."

"Sam would escape. And when he got out, he'd be able to freeze you in place and shoot you with the Colt."

"Possibly." Alastair shrugged. "But my main plan is...well...Sammy's powers can't be used on humans...and if he's caught off guard..."

"The hell are you saying!" Dean was clenching his fists so hard that he wouldn't be surprised if his fingernails cut into the skin.

"Little spy girl gets instructions from me, goes to talk to Sam all innocently and asks for comfort. He hugs her and that's when she..." Alastair made the motion for cutting someone's throat.

"No...don't you dare!" This was a legit threat that could very easily happen. Sam would go down this way. The kid's compassion for others could lead to his demise...no...Dean couldn't let that happen.

He'd have to kill Heather and let out his darkness. There would be no going back...but this way, Sam would be okay.

He had to give up.

"That's it Dean..." Alastair's voice practically sung. "Let it happen...release yourself...let yourself  _snap_."

The emphasis on that last word actually had Dean come out of the trance he had been falling into. Something about the way Alastair said it...put so much focus on that word...the same word that Sam had wrote in his journal.

When Dean thought of it, the white eyed demon  _had_  been using that word often when he was taunting him. It was almost as if he knew about the words in the journal...

But how would he know? It's not like the spy would know about Sam's journal and tell Alastair. There's no way she would have found out about the thing...

Unless...

Unless she wrote it. Alastair _did_  just say he could give her commands.

It had been Sam's handwriting, but Dean knew...he knew how powerful Alastair was, that he was capable of so many powers Dean would never think of...that he couldn't begin to comprehend...this room's enchantments being one of them.

Dean looked up to see that Alastair had long gone, leaving Dean to finish off Heather.

But that wasn't going to happen. Dean had a sudden hope now, the darkness fading away and simply simmering inside him like usual, instead of taking a front seat.

Maybe Sam never wrote that at all, didn't actually feel that way about him. Sure Sammy had been upset with him, but it never seemed like he had doubted Dean or was afraid of what he might do.

He had to get in touch with his brother. Maybe now since he had faith in Sam, the connection would work!

Dean closed his eyes and concentrated, but he knew right away it wasn't going to work. He was emotionally and physically exhausted. He didn't have the strength or energy inside of him to send his thoughts out to his brother.

He'd have to get some sleep and try again. But how was he going to when he had a woman just feet away from him that wouldn't shut up?

And what if the connection still failed after that?

Or worse...what if he did contact Sam only to find out his brother really did write the entry?

* * *

"You need to get some sleep Sam."

It was now five in the morning. Bobby was sitting with Sam in the living room of the brothers' suite. The older man hadn't even been upset about Hayley. He had trusted Sam's judgment.

"No. We know where Dean is now. We have to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes," Bobby agreed. "And as soon as possible is after you get some rest."

"Bobby..."

"Listen to me Sam. You aren't going to be able to help your brother when you're this exhausted. You're swaying on your feet. If you want the best chance to save him, you're gonna need to be alert and ready, well rested."

Sam didn't like it but he knew Bobby was right. If he went to save his brother when he was too tired and off his game and messed up...he would never forgive himself. He could hardly think straight as it was.

"I just don't like waiting. I just want him back," Sam sighed quietly.

"I know boy." Bobby squeezed his shoulder. "But we stand a better chance well rested. We can do this. You think you'll be able to get some sleep?"

"There's so much on my mind right now but I'm so tired that I'm sure I'll be able to."

"Alright." Bobby stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna get some rest as well. Marcy's watching Aiden for you. We'll start getting ready and planning tonight around 8 or 9."

"Wait...Bobby...," Sam began. "I...about Hayley...she was a murderer, she was gladly working for Alastair...helped capture Ellen and Carl..."

"Sam." Bobby looked at him sadly. "Don't you worry. You think I would be upset at you for taking her out? I would have done the same thing. She was just as bad as the things we hunt. Keeping her alive would have been dangerous."

"And what she did to Dean...it's just as bad as trying to kill him."

"There's no justice system to stop her, so we have to be the ones making the calls. And it was the right call Sam. Who knew what else she could be capable of. Don't let it eat at you."

But Sam's concern wasn't from how it was eating at him. It was how killing her didn't seem to bother him at all. She had done the worst thing possible...given up Dean to his torturer. She didn't deserve to live after that...she had been a woman with no good intentions, willingly working for evil.

She picked the wrong brothers to mess with and she paid for that.

Sam forced himself off the couch and opened the fridge. There were still two demon blood water bottles left in there. He hadn't had one today and he was feeling the effects of a headache. He took one out and drank it while walking into Dean's room.

For the next half an hour, Sam busied himself with cleaning up his brother's room that Dean had destroyed in his outrage. When he almost fell over picking something up, Sam knew he had to get some sleep.

He laid down on Dean's bed, trying one more time to contact Dean, but his efforts fell short as his concentration only resulted in dizziness. Tears came to his eyes as he stared at the happy picture of he and his brother under the shattered picture frame.

His dreams were bound to be filled with nightmares.

* * *

"Can you please shut the hell up?" Dean asked Heather. "I have a plan."

Heather looked hopeful for the first time in a day. "You can get us out?"

"Maybe, but I'm going to need some sleep first."

"Sleep?" Heather screeched. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I haven't slept in over 24 hours, I'm damn exhausted."

"You're a demon!"

"That doesn't matter. The only chance we have is if I'm fully rested."

"Chance? How? What's your plan?" Here came the tears yet again.

It wasn't like Dean could explain that he needed more energy to telepathically connect with his brother so he could tell Sam where to come rescue him.

"You'll figure it out when it happens." Dean was feeling mentally better and he knew that he would be able to knock Heather out without losing any emotionally stability. He grabbed a power saw, ignoring Heather's worried screams, and hit her up the side of the head.

Dean took a deep breath and felt no lingering urge to cause anymore pain. Good, now he could try to sleep without listening to her cry hysterically.

He laid down on be hard floor, carefully trying not to jostle his bad arm. Dean realized just how good they had it at that hotel with the comforts of not only the beds, but everything else. It would suck when they had to leave, but it was for the best.

It didn't take long before he felt sleep taking him, despite the situation he was in. He was exhausted...and the thoughts of trying to get in contact with Sam...of fixing things between them were enough to...

Dean suddenly blinked awake, sitting straight up. Heather was gone...the whole room was...in it's place was a...a forest.

What the fuck?

Dean slowly stood up, taking a look around him. Something was definitely off. Was this some hallucination set by Alastair? He did that in Hell a lot, but Earth was a different story. It wasn't possible to cause them here, was it?

But while Dean felt odd, he didn't feel afraid. His instinct was telling him that this place was safe. He turned to look behind him, noticing a small, human created trail path. Why not follow it?

Dean realized while he walked that this sensation he was feeling...it was almost as if he were...dreaming. It had been decades since he last dreamt...when he was still human in Hell. But he was pretty sure this was what it had felt like. He just knew that most of the time in dreams, you couldn't control yourself. But he could...he had full control over his thoughts. It was almost as if...his soul...was placed into a dream.

But demons couldn't dream. What the hell was going on?

The path finally made way to clearing and in the area was a small cabin.

It was the cabin that he and Sam had stayed in during the summer of '93. There was no mistaking it, he remembered this perfectly. Dean had just been talking about this to Sam the first day they arrived at the hotel.

How the hell was this possible?

He walked over to the back of the cabin, where he knew a small stream was...and sure enough it was there. Glancing around, he saw the old evergreen tree, the one that had been struck by lightning one night and caused some of it's branches to fall off. He looked along the bark...about four feet up...

There it was. His and Sam's initials carved into the tree.

Dean reached out to touch the carving, letting out a yelp when he saw the state of his hand.

His fingers were broken and scarred...he held up his left to see that the hand was completely missing, it was just like what his real hand looked like...his soul...

He hurried over to the stream, glancing at his reflection in horror. He was in his soul form. The disfigured body...the demonic horns and tail...what...

What the hell was going on with him? How come he wasn't in his body? Shouldn't it hurt to be out in his soul form? How come he felt so much at peace?

He felt exactly like he had when Sammy had touched his soul when Cas had removed it from his body.

Did that mean Sam was...

Dean heard the sound of a door opening behind him and footsteps running.

"Dean!" It was his little brother's excited voice. Dean swallowed nervously. So this was Sam's dream of some sort and apparently they were in their soul forms while they were here. It made sense that they would be, it was your soul, not body that was dreaming.

And Sam was going to be able to get a good long look at his mutilated and broken soul. Yeah, Sam saw his soul once before for a minute or two and hadn't freaked but he was probably just holding back to be nice. Sharing a dream and having to talk to someone who looked like this...who was so...destroyed...Sam would be disgusted. He would be ashamed.

"Dean! It's really you, isn't it?" Sam's voice was closer now.

Dean slowly started to turn around. Better just get this over with and face the rejection.

* * *

One moment Sam was watching Dean get torn apart by Alastair and then next he was sitting on a couch in a cabin.

In an instant, he suddenly knew he had been dreaming and that this...this had to be a dream too, but he was able to control his thoughts and actions.

It wasn't a vision, felt nothing like it. It felt like the dream root potion but this...it was different. His dream had been manipulated. The only other time that had happened was when Azazel had come into his dreams and made him watch his mom die on the ceiling and drip demon blood into his mouth.

Did this mean that a demon was causing this? Azazel had the blood connection to Sam before and now...

Now Dean did. A much stronger and deeper connection that wasn't only based on the blood link.

That had to mean Dean was here!

Sam stood up, looking around for any signs of his brother. He didn't see him, but he recognized the cabin right away. The one they stayed in when he was 12 over the summer.

This had to be Dean's doing. Azazel had brought him into a horrible memory. Leave it to his brother to bring him somewhere peaceful and full of happy memories for them both.

Sam didn't know Dean was capable of doing any sort of dream manipulation, but then again, maybe Dean wasn't aware he had done so. His brother was always learning more about his powers, this could have happened subconsciously for Dean.

Either way, Sam was just relieved it happened at all, now he just had to find...

A yell broke through the silence. It was more hoarse than Dean's voice...but every part of Sam was certain that it was his brother. He just  _knew_.

Sam rushed out the back door, toward the sound of the yell to see a figure that looked both recognizable and unfamiliar, standing near a stream.

_Dean._

It had Dean's shape but even from behind, Sam could see that the body was riddled with injuries. The hair that hadn't been burned away was the color of Dean's. There was a black thin tail that ended in a triangular point, much like the standard and original interpretations of demons and the devil.

Sam smirked a little, it actually looked kind of cute, he'd have to tease Dean about it.

For whatever reason, Dean was appearing in the form of his soul, which probably meant that Sam was as well. Not that any of it mattered, all that did was that Dean was here, with him.

"Dean!" Sam couldn't wait any longer as he called out his brother's name happily.

He wasn't expecting Dean to go rigid and not turn around.

At first Sam was confused. Why wouldn't Dean immediately turn around to see him, even if he was confused as to why he was here?

Then he noticed Dean's posture, and how defeated it looked.

His brother had been through a lot this past day and a half. Who knew what kind of affect it had on him. He also might still believe that Sam didn't trust him, didn't want him around any longer.

Sam decided to go for a calm approach to not scare his brother. He walked a little closer. "Dean! It's really you, isn't it?"

Slowly, Dean began to turn around. Sam could see how his soul looked even clearer than he could before.

He should cringe at that partially burned face, the gruesome injuries and missing hand. He should be disgusted by the condition of Dean's legs and how they looked like they had been mauled on by a pack of rabid dogs.

Instead, he looked over all that, took it in, and ended up smiling when he did notice Dean's black little demon horns. Definitely not big or scary like someone would expect to be on a being from Hell.

Just something else he could tease Dean about.

While Sam was feeling completely at ease and relieved, Dean looked terrified. Sam finally focused on his brother's expression, his frightened black eyes. He couldn't ever remember Dean looking as lost and on edge as he was right now.

For once in his life, Dean was showing how fragile he actually felt.

"Sammy," Dean said quietly, in that gravelly voice that Sam wasn't used to.

Sam knew that whatever move he made next would either cement their bond or destroy it.

There was only one thing he wanted to do…only one thing he could do.

He walked the remaining distance to his brother, his brother that just in this short time, he had so desperately missed and felt like he was falling apart without. Sam grabbed Dean and crushed him in a hug.

"It's okay. I'm here. I've got you Dean."

* * *

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed. Your enthusiasm for the story is helping me write and the words are coming easier to me. I hope to continue updating more often like this. Please let me know your thoughts on this one, I had a lot of fun writing it.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22**

Sam breathed a sigh of relief when Dean didn't pull away from him and instead, actually leaned in. After a moment of hesitation, Dean put his arms around his brother. Sam felt the stump of Dean's left arm pressing against his back and his right hand was fisted tightly in Sam's shirt.

Then, Dean began to shake. It took Sam so much by surprise that he almost missed the quiet noises his brother was making.

Dean was crying. It was barely audible, but he had finally released those pent up emotions, he was finally letting Sam in by not shying away. Alastair hadn't succeeded in what he had intended to do; Sam wasn't too late in saving him.

Feeling the wetness of the tears on his neck just made Sam hug Dean tighter, more protectively. He let his brother have a moment before he spoke.

"It's okay, Dean. You held on, you didn't let him break you." Alastair had thought Dean's emotions were his weakness; he couldn't have been more wrong.

Sam was expecting some kind of sarcastic remark along the lines of  _'Hell yeah, I'm too amazing to break'_. Instead, he got something entirely different.

"I almost did," Dean responded in a whisper.

"But you didn't," Sam stressed. "Because you're strong, I'm so damn proud of you."

Dean finally started to squirm under Sam's hold, probably from embarrassment. The younger brother reluctantly let go, pulling Dean away but keeping his hands on the demon's shoulders.

Sam grinned at his brother, finding it hard to express how happy he was in this moment, that Dean was here. Dean's black eyes held no signs that he had let a few tears fall just a minute ago, but he wasn't brushing it off or denying it like Sam had expected him to. However, when Dean's eyes caught Sam's gaze, he quickly looked away, staring at the grass.

Sam took a moment to consider his brother's behavior. Dean seemed embarrassed, almost ashamed in the way he didn't want to look Sam in the eye. The stance of his broken soul was tense, like he was preparing for something. It was almost as if Dean was afraid of something he was going to do or say...

"Dean...are you...is this why you wouldn't turn around at first? Do you think I'm disgusted by how you look? I've seen your soul before and I told you it doesn't matter!"

Dean only shrugged. "Well you get to take a better look at it this time. You get to really see just how broken big brother is." He finally looked up and gave Sam a fake smile.

Sam felt his heart breaking for his brother by seeing how low his self esteem still was. He often thought that because Dean was a demon and acted so confident most of the time, that a lot of those insecurities were gone.

Apparently they weren't, not when it came to Sam's views on him at least.

Dean was looking down again, so Sam tilted up his chin and then gently hit him on the side of the head, knowing that despite the apparent injuries, it wasn't going to hurt his brother, not here in this dream.

"Dude, you think that this is going to scare me away? Really? If I didn't run away after I walked in on you and those twins...I don't think anything was as scary as that."

Dean chuckled at the memory and Sam realized that it had been the perfect thing to say. "Hey, it was right after I made the deal, I wanted to try something different before I went into the furnace. It's your fault for walking in...are you sure you didn't purposely do it..."

"Dean! You're sick!"

"It's okay if you want to grab some twins of your own. Although they'd be harder to find now, with everyone dead and all..."

Sam shoved at his brother, causing him to laugh again. It was so nice to hear. It didn't matter the condition of Dean's soul, the only thing that mattered was that Dean had held on, he didn't break and he was still very much Sam's brother.

He wasn't going to lose him. It was such a relief.

"Just so you know," Sam spoke when Dean stopped laughing. "The demon tail and horns are pretty cool."

"You don't have to tell me, I already know that," Dean replied smugly.

Sam would love to keep up the brotherly banter, he wanted nothing else. But they had to get back to business. He had to talk to Dean about the important things, where to find him and what was happening. And then...then he'd rescue Dean and have him back at the hotel...and everything would be normal again.

"Dean," Sam stated seriously. He looked over at a bench that was near the stream. "Let's sit down and talk."

"Aww, are you gonna break up with me Sammy?" Dean joked about the context of the words.

"I'd love to keep bickering with you but this is serious Dean. We have to talk about what's been going on."

Dean got tense again and looked away.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I don't want to."

Leave it to Dean to try and joke his way out of talking about things that made him uncomfortable or scared.

"I know," Sam smiled sadly. "But if we're going to get through this, we have to."

* * *

Dean stared ahead at the stream, not looking at Sam who was sitting on the bench next to him.

How did they even begin to talk about all the crap that was going on?

"What was he doing to you?" Sam asked about Alastair, sounding distressed. Thank goodness his brother started the conversation, even if it was difficult for him.

"It wasn't the typical torture like down in Hell. More psychological." Dean tried to keep it simple.

"I had a vision," Sam said and that caused Dean to turn and face him. There were tears in the kid's eyes. "He was telling you to kill Heather, messing with you. I didn't see much...but what I did see..."

"Almost made me snap," Dean admitted. "He was trying to deprive me of food and water, break Heather so she begged for death...it was almost too much, the urges to just give in. It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't believe that you said that stuff about me in the journal."

"The journal! I almost forgot because I was so happy to see you. You know I didn't write that, don't you? Hayley did...when I found out..."

"It's okay Sammy." Dean smiled. While he had been trying to tell himself it wasn't Sam, it wasn't until he saw Sam's actions, the hug and genuine happiness to see him, and then his words right now, that Dean really believed. It hadn't been Sam's writing, he had never doubted him. "I figured it out kind of. Alastair kept mentioning the word 'snap'..."

"It was written in the journal...," Sam followed along.

"Exactly. He had stressed it so much the last time that it just kind of clicked...I never wanted to believe it, but dude, it was your handwriting. It seemed like it could be legit because of how you had been acting..."

"Dean I never felt that way about you," Sam interrupted, his eyes desperate for Dean to believe him. "I was upset at you, sure, but it wasn't anything major. I was a little worried for your state of mind…never…never that you were going to hurt anyone. And especially not that shit about wanting to leave you."

"You don't want to start some life with a girl and have her pop out some little Sammy's?"

Dean was going for a joke, but it seemed Sam saw through him. "Dean…is this about what Jo said to me about having a family one day? I knew you were acting weird after that but I thought I reassured you…"

"I wasn't exactly in a good mindset then, Sammy." He didn't explain why he wasn't in a good place then. About how he felt like Sam had been distant toward him, like Dean wasn't enough for him. Sam had been so sad about everything, about this new life, and Dean didn't feel like he could make him happy. So of course when Jo had mentioned having a family to Sam, Dean had assumed that was what Sam wanted, it was what would finally make him content in a world so full of death.

"Dean, what I said to Jo had absolutely nothing to do with leaving you." Sam grabbed Dean's knee and squeezed. "You are my brother, my damn soulmate. No one comes before you. The whole thing was a big if…if we could stay safe in the hotel…if you were happy there…if I found someone I could love…then I could maybe  _expand_ my family and have a few kids that would have an awesome demon uncle."

"It was never about going separate ways?" Dean had to clarify.

" _Never._ It was something that could have possibly happened if  _we_ built a life there. I was never going to go anywhere without you. I was never going to stop sharing the suite with you, you would be right there with me and helping me raise those kids. And whoever I would have gotten in a relationship with would have to love you too, but they would never mean more to me than you."

Okay, this was getting cheesy. But at least Dean figured out what Sam had meant. He knew they would have to talk more about it later, about what went wrong and how they both behaved, but right now…things were good.

"Can we chat more about our special little feelings when we actually are truly face to face and I'm not trapped by a psycho demon?"

"Alright," Sam agreed, thank goodness. "But we are talking about it Dean, I'm serious."

"I know Sammy." And this time Dean wouldn't try and push him away. If talking about how they felt and sharing more kept shit like this from happening…then Dean would do it in a heartbeat, even if he was a bit reluctant.

Sam smiled at him and even though he had told Dean that he wasn't repulsed by the condition of his soul at all, it was difficult to look Sam in the eye. Dean did believe his brother, there was no way Sam would be this calm and happy and sitting right next to him, touching him to comfort him. But when Sam's soul was so pure and...bright...with only a few bruises along it…it wasn't easy to not get up and run away from his own shame.

Dean took a deep breath. "How did you figure out about the journal and Hayley?" Time to change the subject. He was honestly curious about how Sam found out about this whole mess.

"I'll tell you the whole story about how I knew it was Hayley later, a little detective work and some help. But the journal... when Ruby came back and heard that you left so upset, she told me that you mentioned it to her and what it said. Normally I'd be pissed that you talked about your worries with her over me." Sam smirked. "But I was just happy you told someone and that we had a lead."

"Dude, I didn't want or mean to. She kept badgering me about my attitude and I got so annoyed that I slipped and mentioned it."

"Why would Ruby care about what was bothering you?" Sam questioned.

"She didn't, she just wanted me to stop moping so I was on top of my game. Should have listened to her more. Ended up letting it affect me and then I left the hotel at the worst time, when I was unstable and pissed and confused. Was far from on top of my game and Alastair got me."

"That was his plan though Dean. It was his plan to create distance and anger between us. You would be upset and he could get to you."

"I should have seen this coming. Crowley warned against it." Dean shook his head. He shouldn't have been so blind to all of it.

"It's not your fault Dean," Sam stressed, squeezing Dean's knee again. "He thought this out so thoroughly and tricked us both. You can _not_  blame yourself. But hey, we figured it out and we're going to show him that were smarter, we  _are_  going to win."

"I know we will. I'd hoped that even if you didn't trust me anymore you wouldn't leave me to rot with him."

"Dean, I was looking for you immediately. I made myself sick with worry. I killed that bitch Hayley after I found out what she did to you." Sam's face turned dark with anger.

"You killed her?" That was surprising, but Dean felt pride wash over him. Probably weird to be proud of your brother for killing someone, but hey, he  _was_  a demon. Sam was finally learning how to really survive in this new world, he was becoming stronger.

"She was a terrible person but worst of all, she sold you out to Alastair with no regret. She deserved it." Sam's tone left no room for argument. Did he really think his demon brother was going to protest his actions? Dean wasn't the same stupid human that had been terrified of Sam going darkside. He trusted his brother.

Dean smirked. "That's my boy."

"Dude you know how weird that sounds? Praising me?"

"Not that weird if you're a demon. But really, thanks Sammy."

"You don't have to thank me, you know I'd do anything for you," Sam said quietly, seeming a little embarrassed. "Speaking of anything...this...how did you do this? How did you make it so we could talk? I tried telepathy so many times but it wasn't working because of how our bond had been manipulated."

Dean chuckled. "I really have no damn idea. I just...after I realized Alastair was probably behind the journal, I had so much hope. Didn't have the energy to try and contact you so I made myself sleep...next thing I know..."

"And I was sleeping too. So we probably have to be asleep at the same time."

"It would make sense. I just really wanted to talk to you and I had faith in you again so that kinda...formed into some new power." Dean shrugged.

"I just can't believe you pieced it together...," Sam said in awe. "Dean that's amazing."

It really wasn't, but Dean plastered on a smirk. "Of course, I'm the most amazing demon there is. Even figured out where I was being held."

"You found out you were at the library?"

"Yeah, noticed the tools Alastair gave me to torture with had the name of a company on it. Questioned Heather and she told me where it was located, library's right by there."

Sam was giving him one of those weird looks that he used to do when he was younger. The whole 'little brother worshipping his big brother' look.

"Dean, you really need to give yourself more credit," Sam stated seriously. "That's...it's so clever. You're so damn smart."

Sam really needed to shut up. "No need to tell me things I already know."

The younger brother shook his head. "Do you have any idea how many demons there are?"

"Can't help you there Sammy. I've only seen a few of his minions that popped in. I bet there's a ton, it is their base, isn't it? The room I'm in is warded somehow that they can come in but I can't leave. He's got me under surveillance, but hey, I do know I'm somewhere in the basement, there's no windows."

Sam nodded, seemingly trying to hand on to any little help that they could get. "Okay, that's good. Now I know I have to get down there."

Dean sighed. "I don't want you getting hurt Sammy. How the hell are you going to clear it out?"

"I've got some ideas…I can…" Sam stopped as both brothers heard voices coming from somewhere to their left. "What the hell…"

They both stood up and went to pull out weapons, only to find out that they had nothing on them. Dean didn't understand….if he had somehow manipulated Sam's dream…it was  _his_  doing, aided by the freaky soulmate crap…only he and Sam should be here.

Dean was shocked to see two young figures emerge from the trees, laughing. The smaller one, who was carefully carrying an axe, pushed at the taller boy, causing him to trip and drop the firewood he had been carrying. Instead of getting mad, he laughed even harder, going after the shorter boy who had put down the axe and was now running….running away from his older brother who he knew would try and chase him.

"It's us," Sam stated the obvious, just as in shock as Dean was. "It…it makes sense. Azazel dropped me into a memory…his past self was there and so was the six month old version of me…it makes sense that this would be a specific memory too, and we would be here."

So it wasn't just a familiar location Dean had created, but an actual memory. As he watched his teenage self grab Sam and dunk him in the river, he smiled, remembering this exact day.

"Dude, you wanted to help cut the wood, but you were still too wimpy. But I let you help anyway, it took…like twice as long as it should have."

Sam grinned. "And you tried to drown me in the river."

"Hey, that's what you get for messing with me. Not like you didn't know how to swim."

Sam sighed happily. "That was a fun summer, I loved that Dad was away."

"Hell, I did too. I just never admitted it, because I wanted to be the  _good son_." Dean rolled his eyes as the memory Winchesters started splashing each other. "Good thing those two are just a memory and can't see me. It wouldn't go down too well having those kids see something that looks like me."

Sam shrugged. "Who knows, they might not have been afraid at all. The tails and horns are kind of cute."

Dean turned and glared at his brother. "No they aren't! They're scary!"

"Dean, they're the exact opposite of scary. The ones on Halloween costumes look more menacing."

Dean thought of the demonic features on all the other demons down in Hell, and then compared his own…wimpy ones. Sam did have a point. But it was a good thing, and they both knew it. It showed that he never transformed like the rest, that he held onto Sam and got out early before Hell could completely change him into something else.

But instead of saying any of that crap, Dean ducked his head and rammed the horns into Sam's chest.

"DEAN! REALLY?"

"Hey, you said they weren't scary. They aren't even sharp."

"I know, but you're a complete obnoxious dork."

Dean tried to control the demon tail and jabbed it into Sam's stomach.

Sam didn't waste any time as he grabbed Dean and tossed him into the river.

And at that moment, the Winchesters' laughter exceeded even that of their memory selves.

* * *

"How much time do you think we have left here?" Sam asked his brother.

They were standing in the cabin now, trying to ignore the young Sam and Dean as they went about their day. It seemed they could manipulate whatever they wanted here, and the memory would remain the same, the teens didn't notice anything.

Dean had the idea to start charting out a plan to rescue him. They found paper and pens in Sam's bedroom and started jotting stuff down. Yeah, Sam wouldn't be able to take it with him, but as Dean had said, his 'stupid geeky photographic memory would remember it'.

He didn't have photographic memory, Dean was over-exaggerating, but he _was_  very good at remembering things. It was best to go over this with his brother for as long as he could before they were separated yet again.

"I'm not sure," Dean sighed. "I'm surprised I haven't woken up yet. I would have thought Alastair would have kicked me awake by now."

Sam took that as a sign that they may not have that much longer here. "If I could somehow get into the PA system there..." he jotted down some notes. "I could say the exorcism and get rid of all demons that don't have the lock ward on their body."

"It would be the best option, it would get rid of a lot of the demons," Dean admitted. "But there's no way you could get in there safely to do that. I'm not going to allow you to risk your life."

"I'm not going to sit around and leave you in there!" Sam pounded his fist on the table. "I have to try anything!"

"Okay, okay." Dean held his hands up...well...hand and stump anyway. "Relax. We know the PA system will work...it doesn't have to be you who does it."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm thinking...what if it's possible there's someone on the inside that could help?"

"There's only demons and spies in there."

"Yeah...but what if...I don't think every single demon in there is really on Alastair's side. I bet Crowley might..."

"Might have someone spying in there for him?" Sam tried to follow his brother's train of thought.

"It's worth a shot. I know there are demons that aren't down with Alastair's ways. They don't trust him because he couldn't even break little old me. So I'm betting either they made some kind of deal with Crowley, or Crowley sent his own followers there to spy."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "So I'll summon him but what if he doesn't want to help?"

"Oh, there's no way he won't help. He won't risk me dying because he knows I'm the best shot at taking Alastair down. He's gonna want him dead as soon as possible so he can take over."

"But what if the plan doesn't work? Or he has no demons in the library that can help?" Sam looked down at the small list of ideas he made. Nothing else seemed like it would even be plausible.

Dean shrugged. "We'll figure it out. I'm pretty sure that now that we're on good terms, we'll be able to mind-talk again."

Sam smiled, not even minding Dean's horrible wording for the telepathy this time. "Yeah, that makes sense. And you better keep in contact with me or I'll start thinking the worst…."

"Chill, I'll need to talk to you just as much. But if I ever shut up, know that it's probably because Alastair is in the room. Don't freak out."

"How can I not freak out when you're stuck with him?"

Dean sighed, pushing the paper away with his one broken hand. "Can we just not think about this right now? We already know the plan and there's nothing else you can do until we get out of this dream world. Can't we just…I don't know, relax for now?"

Sam glanced at the paper one more time. There was no use trying to think of alternate plans right now. He would just have to put their current one into action when this dream was over, when Alastair forced Dean awake.

Sam knew that Dean had been terribly affected by Alastair, but still…it said a lot that Dean was trying to just relax for now. It showed how worn out he was and it was his way of saying that he just wanted a break from it all. He was once again not hiding his weakness from Sam.

Not that Sam would call Dean weak in any means, how he had held back and refused to give in to Alastair was an incredible show of his strength. But everyone had their limit, and Dean just needed some peace now.

"Let's go sit in the main room." Sam pointed to it over his shoulder. "Looks like the kid-us lit up the fireplace."

They sat down on the couch and Sam noticed that the kids were sitting on the ground playing a game on checkers. He patted Dean on his stump and pointed to the memory Winchesters.

"We should get ourselves a game of checkers. Bring back our old rivalry."

"I'd beat your ass like usual," Dean said, but he wasn't staring at the kids, but down at his stump in shock like he couldn't believe Sam dared to touch him there.

When would Dean get the hint that he just didn't care? That he wasn't disgusted and just happy to have his brother?

"You okay?" Sam asked. Even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer, he had to at least try.

Dean rubbed his hand over the stump, seeming slightly distracted. "Did I ever tell you the process of what happens after you turn into a demon?"

Sam sat up straighter, taken aback. The last thing Sam had ever expected was for Dean to initiate a conversation about what happened in Hell. He had been trying to get Dean to talk about it since he came back, but the older brother had refused to budge.

Now, Dean wanted to talk about it, or perhaps,  _needed_ to talk about it. And of course Sam was freezing up, finding it difficult to speak even though this was what he had wanted all along, for Dean to open up.

The truth was, he was afraid of what he was going to hear. Not because he was ashamed of his brother, but because he was terrified that he wouldn't be able to help Dean, that he would say the wrong thing.

But he needed to hear this. The worst thing would be to deny Dean this opportunity to open up.

"No, you didn't." Sam kept his response simple, leaving it up to Dean as to what pace he wanted to go in speaking about this.

Dean stayed quiet for just long enough that Sam thought he wasn't going to discuss it anymore.

"You don't really feel the moment you change." Dean shrugged. "You're getting darker and darker even when you're still human, so it's not like some drastic feeling once your eyes go black. But…but you do feel released. You stop fighting it. You just stop caring."

Sam kept quiet, but held Dean's gaze, letting him know to go on when he was ready.

"Which is actually kind of hilarious. I didn't realize I changed until…I don't know, probably weeks after I actually did, because I had given up fighting it long before, made it my goal to become a demon. And since…I never stopped caring about your stupid ass, I had thought I was still human for a while."

"Wasn't it your plan though, to become a demon to save me? I thought you knew you'd still care about me even after the change."

"I was  _hoping_ that I would. Turning into a demon and stopping the angels' plan for me would buy us some time, it kind of paused the apocalypse plans and it was the best option I had at saving you. I knew there was a chance that it might not work and I'd lose myself completely and not care about what happens to you."

"You didn't go to Hell because you were a bad person though. You went to save me, and you held on to the good that was inside you." Dean hadn't entered Hell as an evil person, and therefore it would have taken much longer to change him into the typical demon, at least that was Sam's way of thinking about it.

Dean huffed, looking away. "No, I held onto your memory, and I guess in turn that helped retain some good in me. But yeah, I should have known that I'd never be able to hurt you but I was a scared little human that thought I might turn into a monster. But anyway...I finally saw my reflection and noticed the horns and tail and black eyes. That's the first change that happens immediately."

"And then the...," Sam gestured to Dean. "Scars appear?"

"Nah, those happen while you're still human. No one, even good people, have perfect souls. Everyone has some damage and then it gets worse the longer you're there. It's when you're a demon that you get the actual...creature type changes."

Sam studied his brother, trying to find any other demonic–looking additions to his true form. He didn't see any. "But you only have the tail and the horns...that you just said all demons get."

"Yeah exactly. The way you start to change is...I've seen it happen...you actually start losing your human limbs." Dean held up his stump. "And then in it's place you start to actually grow these...new ones that look like..."

"Like something that belongs to a monster?" Sam asked and Dean nodded. "But you never did."

"No, the process started when I lost my arm but it never even got to the point where I started to change into a monster. I saw other demons change so quickly but it didn't happen to me. That's how damn awesome I am," he finished proudly, but Sam could see the worry in his face, the way he hoped Sam would understand what he was trying to get across.

The physical appearance of the soul symbolized the emotional condition of it. Dean didn't begin to transform into a monster, showing that he never lost who he was, that he remained Dean Winchester, even as a demon.

He lost a part of him that was human, but it never got replaced by evil, a section of his humanity just ceased to exist.

Yet, Dean was still the most  _human_  that a demon could possibly be.

Sam looked at his brother, who seemed to be on edge, waiting for a response. "I guess you are kind of awesome," he smirked and then got serious. "And you're so damn strong, it's incredible how you were able to hold back."

"Why don't you just keep complimenting me so my head can grow even bigger?"

Sam laughed. "I don't think it's possible. Your head wouldn't fit through the door."

"Yeah, maybe." Dean shook his head in amusement, but he still seemed a little worried. "Hey, you see these?" He leaned towards Sam and pointed under his eyes.

Sam leaned forward and squinted until he was able to see something he hadn't before. There were thin black veins coming from the skin under Dean's eyes. In some areas it was more difficult to see because of the bruising and puckered scars, but they seemed to fade away right at Dean's cheekbones.

"Yeah, it's like veins." Sam looked up a bit to meet Dean's eyes.

"It's something else that happens when you turn into a demon, they match your eye color. The darker you get, the more they spread until they're all throughout your body. They get more noticeable and bigger, all raised and nasty."

"Sounds disgusting." Sam looked again at the tiny veins and couldn't ever imagine the process that Dean had described happening to his brother.

"It is, it's hideous. Imagine a sickening monstrous like creature with those all over them. I'm not so disgusting now, am I?" Dean smirked, the worried look in his eyes betraying him.

Sam frowned. Dean was again telling him the process of what it took to turn into a monster, what it did to a soul. He was still trying to convince Sam that he wasn't one of them. "You don't need to try and prove yourself to me Dean."

Dean's expression clouded over. "What the hell? I'm not trying to prove anything to you." He was shutting down again, Sam had to hurry before Dean put the mask back on.

The younger brother took a deep breath, hoping he could convey what he was trying to say in a way that wouldn't offend Dean. "Yes you are. I  _know_  that you're not a monster Dean. I knew long ago that you weren't any evil creature. I don't need to see your soul to tell me that, it was obvious in your behavior, how you cared about me. And this..." Sam waved his hands at Dean, gesturing toward his appearance. "Just shows me what I already knew, how your soul still looks like...like you, despite everything. You don't have to worry about convincing me."

Dean folded his arms. "I wasn't worried."

"Yes you were. You have feelings Dean. That's a good thing."

Sam got a sharp jab to his side and grabbed onto Dean's demon tail before he could pull it away.

"Try that one more time and I'll cut this thing off," he joked menacingly.

Dean grinned. "It would just grow back."

Sam let go and rolled his eyes, taking in Dean's form one more time. Actually...Sam thought back to when he first saw Dean's soul...he looked different from the first time. His soul looked...a little better. The scarring on his face was a little less prominent, his teeth seemed nearly perfect this time.

Dean was still healing, even if it was a little bit. And Sam was helping him do that. It made him feel good; he was relieved that he could finally help his brother in a way.

Dean probably didn't notice or wanted to admit to the healing of his soul, and Sam doubted he'd want it brought up right now after everything they just discussed. But soon...one day he'd let his brother know, Dean deserved that. When before, the news may have made Dean uncomfortable, now, with how far Dean had come, it might actually leave him proud.

Dean just needed to recognize the changes he'd made, how far he'd come and realize that Sam was going to stick by him, no matter what.

* * *

Dean had been waiting and waiting for any sign that would reveal Sam's true feelings toward him. He studied Sam's body language, his eyes, for any hint of disgust or shame.

But with Sam still adamant that it didn't matter, even after Dean telling him those stories of what he did become, and what he could have turned into, he decided to take Sam's word for it.

Sam was simply….happy. He didn't look at Dean with anything other than happiness or relief. Maybe….maybe Sam even looked proud of him, he did say he was, but he was probably only saying that to….

Dean paused in his thoughts. There he went again, doubting his brother's words and actions. That wasn't right. Sam didn't deserve that. Dean would hate it if Sam refused to believe him, so why should he do the same to his brother?

He figured it was something to do with being a demon, and the fact that he always thought other people viewed him negatively. He had never been able to shake out of that habit, even after Hell and everything he lost.

_Thanks a lot Dad!_

But just because his father had instilled onto him this belief that he was never good enough, he shouldn't take it out on Sammy. His brother was doing nothing but continuing to prove that he didn't care about the state of his soul, that he accepted him as he was. He had hugged him, touched his stump and destroyed legs, hadn't been afraid to lean in and look at the veins under his eyes, and he had called the tail and horns cool.

Most important of all, Sam had seemed genuine about it all, not even Dean with his obnoxious, hard-headed demon-self could deny that.

And in return, Dean had been acting like an ass. He had kept questioning Sam, refused to believe him, and snapped at him. Dean could tell it was wearing on his brother, that Sam desperately wanted Dean to believe him.

And for the first time, Dean did, completely.

"Thanks Sammy," Dean said quickly, not looking at his brother.

_Wow, that was a great way to pay your brother back for all the concern and care he's shown you in this dream! Two little words? Couldn't think of a more human way to show him how much you appreciate it? Way to go you demon freak!_

"Dean," Sam said, and if Dean didn't know any better, it sounded like his little brother was choking up. "You don't have to thank me. Ever."

Maybe Sam did get the point of those two words, knew what he was referring to and how they meant so, so much more. Maybe he actually understood that Dean just didn't know how to express himself better.

"Yeah, I do," Dean mumbled, still not facing Sam. Time to end this chick-flick fest. He turned to face his brother's watery eyes. "But only a few times, don't want your head to get too big either."

Sam laughed, only for the entire cabin to suddenly flicker around them.

"Dean!" Sam gasped in horror, both of the brothers jumping up from the couch. "Are you…"

"Don't look at me. But I think…" Dean watched as his own soul flickered the same way. "I think I'm waking up."

"No." Sam was shaking his head quickly, looking terrified. "Not yet. Dean…"

Dean put his remaining hand on Sam's shoulder. "Listen to me Sammy. This is good. It means we'll wake up and you can get a move on in finding me."

Crying noises filled the cabin, and Dean recognized it as Heather's.

"What is that?" Sam was twisting around to look. The room was fading, and when Dean glanced in the bedrooms, he saw that their memory-selves had disappeared.

"It's Heather sobbing, as usual. At least it's not Alastair waking me up. The less time I have to deal with him, the better."

"I'm going to save you Dean. I promise you." Sam tried to grab his shoulder, only for it to go right through his shattered soul.

"I know you will." Dean mustered up a small smile. "See you soon Sammy."

The room, and Sam, vanished into blackness.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there it is, Sam and Dean back on good terms and understanding each other once again! Shorter chapter than usual, but I felt there was no better place to end it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter, I will respond to them throughout the day, I jsut wanted to get this posted before I left for work. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, it was an emotional one to write.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for this delay! I have been swamped at work, trying to finish my projects before I go on vacation and could only write a little bit a day. But to make up for it, I believe this is my longest chapter yet at over 11,000 words. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 23**

Dean startled awake with a gasp. It took him a moment to adjust to his surroundings. Gone was the peace of the dreamworld, the comfort of having his brother with him. Now he was back in this hell hole, with a woman that wouldn't shut up.

"Why did you hit me? Why couldn't you just finish me off!"

"I told you I had a plan," Dean grunted, standing up and wincing once he felt the lingering pain in his bad arm. He spotted a glass of water on the table, the torture tools that he had knocked down were placed back on top of it as well.

Dean walked over and drank the glass quickly, simply ignoring how Alastair was rewarding him for hitting Heather. The demon was taunting him. Too bad it wouldn't work any longer. Not while he had Sam's support he could focus on.

Speaking of Sam...maybe he could contact him now!

"Your plan was to hit me and fall asleep?" Heather asked, her voice like nails on a freaking chalkboard.

"Me falling asleep is gonna save us both, you idiot. I was able to talk to Sam in his dream. He's coming and he's the best chance you've got at getting out of here."

"Dream? You talked to him in one? How…"

"Freaky demon powers. Brotherly link. Now, shut up while I try to get in contact with him again."

Heather opened her mouth but decided against speaking and shut it. Finally. Okay…now he just had to focus…try to talk to his brother….he closed his eyes…

_Sammy?_

There was a moment's pause, and Dean was almost worried that their connection was still broken…that maybe it couldn't be repaired.

 _Dean!_ Sam's relieved voice filled Dean's mind and he exhaled, feeling the tension drain from his body.  _Thank god! I just woke up. Are you okay? I'm coming, I just have to pack up some stuff and gather up everyone before I try and summon Crowley…should only take a half hour…_

_Sammy, chill. I'm okay. Alastair isn't here. Don't rush, use your head, make sure you have everything planned out before you make any decisions._

_I can't waste any time though Dean, Alastair could…_

_He wants me alive. I won't fall for his plans anymore. And it's better to take your time and get this right. Just don't screw up._

_I won't. I'm getting you back._ Sam's tone was strict. _Just hang on._

_I'll be fine now that we can chit-chat. Now go start planning things out, and talk to me once you've figured out what Crowley can do._

_Okay, but if you need to, at any time…Dean, please talk to me._

_I will, you girl. Now scram._

Dean heard Sam laugh before their connection went quiet. But it was still there, it wasn't closed off any longer. He could get in touch with Sam whenever he wanted.

And with whatever Alastair might have planned, he'd probably need to. He'd need to hear Sam's voice to calm him down, to help him through it.

Opening his eyes, Dean found Heather staring at him with a weird look on her face that he couldn't understand. He pretty much sucked at reading any human other than Sammy.

"What?" he barked at the woman.

"I just…I could tell you were talking to him. You seemed so relaxed. I….it's like you seemed completely different than you were when you first came in here."

"But you wouldn't trust me back at the farmhouse. Because of that, you got your son killed."

The woman hung her head in shame, sniffling. "I know. It's my fault. I shouldn't have doubted you. I hadn't seen many demons before that, now that I do know how they're like…" She shuddered, probably remembering how they had tortured her. "You're not nice, but I can see how different you are."

Dean rolled his eyes. Stupid lady finally realized what mostly everyone at the hotel had, that he was  _helping them_ , and that if he wanted to cause harm, he would have done it already. Oh well, maybe she would finally listen to him now and wouldn't cause him any more problems.

"Shut your trap until Sam comes."

"Wait…I…"

"What!"

"If Sam is able to rescue us…" Heather spoke quickly. "Can I come back to live with you guys?"

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. "I thought you just wanted to die!"

"Only because I thought there was no hope!"

"Would you even be helpful at all or would you just cry about your dead son?"

Heather looked taken aback, she seemed angry for a moment before apparently realizing that a demon wasn't going to have sympathy for her. "I miss him. I miss him so much. But I can't linger on it forever. He was the most important person in my life...but he's gone, and I have to move on, you know?"

Dean shook his head. "No. I don't know."

The woman sighed, looking heartbroken. "That's right. You're a demon because you sold your soul for your brother. You couldn't live with him dead. I wish I was that strong for Peter. Even a demon is willing to do more for someone he loves than me."

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, well I'm willing to do more than most people. I'd do anything for Sam, how many people can say they'd go to Hell for someone else?" he questioned. "Most people move on. We have a deeper bond, it's the whole soulmate thing that's the reason why we can't live without the other."

"How many soulmates are there…or  _were_  there?"

"I don't know," Dean huffed. What did she think, he was a wealth of all information? "The angel said there wasn't many."

"Angel?"

"Long story, but yeah there's an angel living at the hotel."

"He doesn't want to kill you?"

"Nah he's cool with me. Even he knows I'm a 'nice' demon."

"So…can I come back with you guys? Maybe I could ask the angel to get Peter to heaven somehow?"

Dean groaned, but he wasn't as irritated with the woman as he had been even a few minutes ago. "I don't give a rat's ass if you come stay with us. That's up to everyone else to decide. We're with another group now, I'm not in charge."

"Thank you." Heather had tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much, Dean."

Dean just stared at the woman, trying to understand her. It was the first time that he could think of that she called him by his name. If she could warm up to him, maybe everyone else could too.

Or maybe everyone did...or mostly everyone, and Dean just kept denying it. He hadn't wanted to believe it, that he was actually fitting in a bit, that he was being accepted. Sam might be right, he may need to give himself more credit.

Dean was drawn out of his thoughts when Alastair appeared in front of him, looking extremely pissed off.

"What's the matter?" the demon, seethed, no longer pretending to be calm. "You were a pathetic mess when I last left. Made yourself pass out from stress. You were so close, about to let go..."

Alastair was just now popping in? Hadn't he realized Dean had been stable while talking to Heather the past half hour? It didn't seem like the demon hung around to watch him on the surveillance, instead he popped in when he was done taking care of his other business to check on Dean's progress. Alastair most likely had those minions watching him on camera, ordering them to alert him only if Dean snapped or tried to escape.

"Maybe I'm stronger than you think." Dean smirked but he quickly found out that it was the wrong move. Alastair approached him menacingly, shoving him into the wall and pressing his forearm against Dean's throat.

"Don't give me that shit, Dean. I had you reduced to a quivering mass on the floor. You can't fool me. There's no use delaying the inevitable. Just let it go."

"Or maybe I was just stringing you along the entire time," Dean choked out with what little air he could get though his windpipe. Alastair was probably confused as hell, having Dean about to lose it one moment only for him to wake up perfectly stable.

The demon let go, only to grab onto Dean's bad arm and snap the bone right where his wound was.

Dean couldn't help it as he let out a short scream, sliding down the wall while clutching at his arm. Son of a bitch, that hurt! And with the former injury and how weak that arm normally was, who knew how long it would take to heal?

Alastair wasn't fooling around any longer. He was getting impatient, veering off on his strategy. Dean just wondered why...

"I've got the spy hunting down your brother right now." The demon kicked at him, baring his teeth. "She has the order to kill him." He pointed to Heather. "Kill this woman and I'll call it off, my spy let Sam be."

Oh. Alastair must have found out that Hayley was dead. He probably DID try and contact her to kill Sam and now...now he was beginning to worry. He knew that Sam was onto him.

But he still thought Dean was clueless about it all. He didn't realize that Dean knew the truth, so he was continuing to taunt him about Sam.

Dean just glared at Alastair, he didn't want his voice to betray the fact that he wasn't scared, that he knew Sam had killed Hayley.

The white-eyed demon knelt down and got inches away from Dean's face.

"Giving in will give you everything you ever wanted. You'll finally be able to let go, you'll become one of the most powerful demons. And your brother won't be touched. What's there to lose?"

When Dean didn't respond, Alastair grabbed his broken arm and squeezed, causing some other bone in there to break and his vision to black out for just a second.

"And just think...when my spy kills little Sammy...all the things we're going to do to him in Hell. It will make your torture look like a walk in the park. We'll get real creative with Sammy...remember the hallucination I cooked up? What I did to your precious little..."

"SHUT UP!" Dean bellowed He couldn't help it. He knew Alastair couldn't have Hayley kill Sam, but what if he was sending demons to the hotel right now and they found some way inside? Just the thought of the things that could happen to his brother...

"And you'd be responsible for it all. How would that feel? After that, you'd snap anyway. Best to let it happen now while you're brother's still alive."

Alastair teleported away and Dean was left panting on the floor, his broken arm now bleeding as well.

"Dean? Are you okay?" Heather spoke up, her voice shaking, but Dean ignored her.

This was bad. Alastair's temper was out in full force, and Dean knew that when the demon's plans started to fall apart...he was even more ruthless that usual. He would go to any lengths to get the job done.

He had to warn Sammy.

* * *

Sam had just parked in front of the abandoned farmhouse they were going to summon Crowley in, when his brother's urgent voice filled his mind.

_Sammy, hurry and get the hell out of there._

Sam froze up and his mind started racing.  _Dean, what's going on? Are you okay?_

_Mentally, yeah, which is the important thing._

Sam gritted his teeth in anger.  _What the hell did he do to you?!_

"Sam?" Bobby asked, sitting in the passenger seat of the car they took from the hotel's garage. "You talking to your brother? How is he?"

Luckily, Bobby had already known about the telepathy. Sam had explained the best he could to the rest of the group that came along. He told them how he and Dean had a connection, being soulmates, and with Dean's demon powers, they were able to talk and share dreams. He completely leaving out the blood drinking though.

He was glad he had informed them about it, because there was bound to be times like this where he needed to stop and concentrate on talking to his brother. It was best if the group knew he wasn't just randomly freezing up and staring into space.

"Yeah, it's Dean. I'm trying to find out what's going on with him right now." Sam rubbed a hand over his face. He looked out the window to see that Ellen, Jo and Carl were getting out of the car they had been traveling in.

Sam rolled down the window. "I'm talking to Dean," he told them and turned away, trying to focus back on his conversation with his brother.

_I'm sorry Dean, I didn't catch that._

_Nevermind, it's nothing important._

_He hurt you Dean! Don't you dare try and tell me it isn't important!_

Sam heard Dean sigh. _He broke my arm alright? My bad arm. Messed it up real good. It hurts like a bitch._

Shit! The pain had to be something terrible for Dean to complain so openly about it.

_We're coming Dean. Why do you want us to get out of here?_

_Alastair knows something's up. I could tell by how he was acting. He knows Hayley's dead, and I bet he knows it's you that killed her._

_So he knows that I figured everything out? He probably knows that I'm on my way._ Sam considered the information his brother was giving him.

_Exactly, I bet he has reinforcements out there right now that are supposed to stop you on your way here. He's not messing around anymore. You didn't fall for his plan; you're coming to get me and I'm holding on for longer than he expected._

_Keep holding on Dean. We'll get there; I'm about to summon Crowley._

_You know I will. Just be damn careful Sammy._

_I will, same to you Dean._

Sam sighed, allowing himself a short moment to collect himself before he stepped out of the car, where everyone was waiting.

"We have to hurry. Alastair has a feeling we're coming and probably has demons coming for us."

Sam asked Ellen, Jo and Carl to stand guard outside and had Bobby, Ruby, and Cas get out of his car and come inside with him to help with the summoning.

The farm house they picked to perform the summoning was only about 10 minutes away from the hotel, Sadie had informed them that it was one that they had already cleared out and was Croat-free. The young woman had tried her hardest to convince Sam that she should go too, but Sam insisted that she stayed. Only the most experienced people should come along, and Sadie needed to stay at the hotel and look after everyone else there. She was their leader, after all.

And truthfully, Sam didn't want to be responsible for anything happening to her. Everyone that came along, he was confident could take care of themselves.

At least he hoped so. He was holding out hope that they would all make it out in one piece. At least everyone knew what they were getting into, and they all wanted to help Dean, to get him back.

Dean was one of them, part of the group, people liked him, and Sam was determined to show him that once they got back.

They set up the devil's trap and ritual in mostly silence. Even Ruby wasn't nagging, and Sam figured there was probably a part of her that wanted Dean back. He doubted Ruby wanted to be the only demon in a group of humans, and Dean was also someone she could relate to, in a way.

Hopefully having a group of hunters, an angel, and a demon, they'd be able to get through any obstacle that stood in the way of getting Dean back.

Sam finished the ritual and took a step back. He didn't have to wait long before Crowley appeared in the devil's trap, not looking as angry as Sam expected him to be.

"Moose. I assume you have good news on Alastair that you wish to inform me."

Bobby moved to stand next to Sam and eyed Crowley suspiciously. Sam remembered that this was the first time the man had ever seen the demon and he didn't blame Bobby for wanting to take precautions to protect him.

"Dean got taken by him," Sam informed him, expecting the news to piss Crowley off.

"Excellent. Took you long enough to finally get near the damn demon."

"Excellent? Alastair has him trapped in a room somewhere! He's powerless! Dean's in danger!"

"Your brother being captured is good, Gigantor. You finally know where Alastair is now. Dean can murder the bastard and I can take over."

"Dean can't kill him when he's locked up and has nothing to defend himself! Do you really think he's going to be able to get the upper hand on Alastair?"

"Well, then if you think your brother is incompetent then why the  _hell_  did you call me here?" Crowley's voice rose. This was more of the reaction Sam was expecting.

"I summoned you because we need to save Dean and the place he's in is crawling with demons. If you want Alastair dead, the best shot is if we get in there. And we can't do it without your help."

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to go into a building with Alastair? The demon who's position I'm attempting to take over?" Crowley was practically yelling now.

"I'm not asking you to go in! Trust me, I know you're not going to make any physical effort to get what you want. We've gotta do the dirty work. But you may have connections that we can use."

"Connections…," Crowley mumbled thoughtfully. "And what makes you think that?"

Sam sighed. He wasn't going to play Crowley's games any more. Time to get to the point. "Do you have any demons…or even humans…that are working in the library?"

"The library? The base that's here in Sioux Falls? Of course I would send out a spy in case Alastair came!" Crowley huffed, exasperated.

"Well then your spy isn't very good, or is keeping things from you, because that's where Alastair is with Dean, right now."

"You're wrong." Crowley seethed. "I sent out that demon a few months ago when I heard they started to invade the city. He's been reliable ever since, telling me when they were setting up main base in the library. He's heard no news on Alastair other than the demons speculating."

"Dean told me that's where he is. Ruby even got into Hayley's head and that's where she knew Dean to be too." With two sources stating the same thing, Sam doubted they were wrong.

"You don't think that the demons maybe...don't know Alastair is there, do you?" Bobby spoke up.

Sam thought back onto something Dean had told him. "I remember...Dean stalked some demons a while back, they were talking about Alastair, but they didn't know where he was. Maybe they really don't know."

"Alastair is a powerful demon," Castiel told them while keeping a close eye on Crowley. "It is reasonable to believe that he can enter the library without the demons knowing and be able to go about undetected."

"I suppose you buffoons could be right," Crowley admitted. "There's many demons that don't have faith in Alastair because he couldn't break your brother. He might want to keep his whereabouts secret and only inform some of his most loyal followers."

"So most of the demons there might not know Alastair...and even Dean...is there?" Sam questioned.

"Now that I think of it..." Crowley pondered. "It would make sense to keep it a secret, and once he broke Dean, he could reveal it in a big surprise. If he fails...well it won't have that terrible of a backlash since not many demons knew about it. It's what I would do, anyway."

"So you can tell your demon what's going on," Sam continued, trying to hurry this conversation along.

"I'm not sure what one measly demon would be able to do that could help that idiot brother of yours."

"I was thinking that if someone could get to the PA system and perform an exorcism..."

Crowley laughed. "Demons can't perform exorcisms, you dunce."

"I'm aware of that...but there could be something he could do...bring some human in there to say it."

"I do still have my human slaves with me." Crowley smirked and Sam remembered the souls that made deals with Crowley. The ones that he had taken a liking to and instead of going to Hell, he had them work for him.

"Are they spying there too?"

"No." Crowley looked at him smugly, as if he had the greatest idea. "But my demon spy informed me that they are always capturing new humans to take in. I could have my demon pretend to capture one of my humans and somehow get her to the PA system."

Sam stared at Crowley in amazement. It was actually a perfect idea. But of course, it would come with a catch.

"And what do you want in return?" Bobby grunted, following Sam's line of thought.

Crowley faced Sam. "You know what I want. Alastair dead. If the lot of you escape and don't murder that bastard, then I'll have to find other means to getting rid of him. You'll serve no purpose to me any longer."

Sam took in the demon's dark tone and knew exactly what he was hinting at. If they didn't kill Alastair, Crowley was going to kill them.

"But if you off him," the demon continued. "And then I get to take over, we'll have no problems. Just stay out of each others' way, got it Moose?"

"Don't worry, I wasn't going to leave that place without making him suffer. He took Dean away from me, he tortured my brother for decades. I'm going to kill him."

Crowley smiled at the venom in Sam's tone. "Good. Now, break this trap so I can use my powers again, and I can make a call to Vincent."

"Vincent?" Sam questioned. "That's what you call your badass spy demon?"

"Hey," Ruby called out, and Sam had almost forgotten she was in the room with them. She must have been trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible with Crowley in the room. "Not all of us go for having the ugly demon names. Some of us choose more normal ones. Or a few, like your brother, stick with their human name."

So Dean had the option of choosing a hellish demon name or a different more human one? Huh. Yet, he chose to stick with his own name because Dean held onto his identity, some of his humanity.

That little fact made Sam that much prouder of his brother. Who was Alastair fooling when he doubted Dean's strength, thinking he could actually break him?

"Alright." Sam broke the devil's trap with a knife. "Let's hurry up."

This plan would work, it had to.

* * *

Dean was busy attempting to make a sling out of his plaid over-shirt, which wasn't easy when you had only one arm to work with. Luckily, he could still move his broken arm, but it hurt like a bitch at the slightest movement. It would heal, but with the former demon-knife wound…it would take a lot longer. Dean wondered if it was going to heal like a normal human bone and he groaned. Just another crappy problem to add to his ever-growing list.

"I'd help you if I could," Heather spoke quietly from where she was tied up.

"I'd  _make_  you help if you wanted to or not," Dean grumbled back, not looking up at the woman. The stupid shirt fell from his hand and Dean snarled at it. This would be so much easier if he could just use his powers in this damn room.

"Did you hear anything new from Sam?" she asked, not getting the hint that Dean did not want to chat right now.

"Sam's kind of busy trying to save us," Dean sneered. "He'll contact me when he has time."

"Okay, sorry," the woman whispered as Dean went back to trying to create the sling.

"My arm is sending stabbing pains through my body so it's best to shut up if you don't want to aggravate me more than I already am."

Dean worked on the shirt-sling for a few more minutes, sweat dripping down his forehead from the pain and the heat. What was it? Late June, early July? Alastair didn't have the air working down here, probably to irritate Dean more. Even though it was in the basement, the room was still too warm to be comfortable.

He couldn't wait to get back to that air conditioned hotel, lay on that memory foam mattress and sleep for three days. Too bad when he was throwing a fit, he'd trashed his room. Oh well, he'd clean it up later, wouldn't take more than ten minutes with his powers.

There was a nagging voice at the back of Dean's head that kept reminding him that the hotel may not be safe for much longer. He'd always believed so, but the longer they stayed, the more he grew attached to the place. Still, he couldn't risk Sam's safety by staying there if there was any indication trouble was headed their way.

Alastair knew about the hotel. Because of Hayley. He hadn't attacked it because he wanted a more subtle and psychological way to get to Dean. But after Dean was out…and hopefully Alastair would be dead…what about Alastair's loyal followers that knew about it? Would Crowley kill them? Would he be able to call off the demons from going after them? Maybe he could, and they could stay safe in the hotel.

But there was still the issue of this Eve creature. The one that was messing with the supernatural beings. What would happen with her and the monsters after Alastair was gone? Did she have any agenda out to get the brothers? She would still cause trouble, and it wasn't the Winchester way to ignore it and let her live. They'd have to take care of her.

Would staying in the hotel be the best place to plan it out? What if she wanted to go after them? Even though it was protected, the hotel was out in the open…they may want a more remote location to hide from her until the time was ready to strike.

Whatever. Dean was going to make himself go crazy thinking about these things. There wasn't anything he could do about it right now, but he was bored and agitated, and his thoughts kept returning to those matters.

He was just thinking of trying to ask his brother what was going on, when Alastair appeared. Dean didn't even react this time, the demon was appearing more and more and he came to expect it.

"I've had enough of your bullshit, Winchester. You're not even worth my time."

"What, finally admitting you finally failed at breaking me? That there's no way you can do it?" Dean wasn't sure what Alastair was going on about, but he didn't like the sound of it.

"Oh, you're already broken. Just in a different way. A demon that can't even act like one…there's no fixing you."

Dean remained silent, unsure if taunting the demon would just make matters worse. Shit…Alastair must have realized he was running out of time. Maybe he really would give up on this mission to break him and try to win over the demons some other way.

"It's not admitting defeat if the demon in question wasn't much of a demon at all." Alastair pulled out the demon-knife from his jeans. Oh crap. He really  _was_  going to kill him.

"Defeat is exactly what it is," Dean tried stalling by talking until he could think of a better plan. "It's your torture that turned me into a demon. You screwed up and made me into this and you're mad because you can't fix it."

Alastair charged toward Dean, holding the blade against his neck. Shit. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say.

"Don't even try to play dumb with me. You could have held on to your humanity much longer…I can see it now. The way you can hold on here because of that brother…even though he hates you. I didn't cause you to break…you chose to let yourself break for  _him_ , didn't you?"

"You're finally figuring it out. Took you long enough."

Alastair scrapped the blade against Dean's cheek, drawing blood and causing him to flinch, sparks coming out from the wound. "What I don't understand is why….why you would choose to turn into a monster for him."

"Maybe because I'm an even better brother now than I was back then. I mean, look, little demon me was able to stop your Apocalypse plans. I'm more dangerous because I'm not like the rest and you want to change that."

The demon peered at him condescendingly. "You have a point, in a way. You didn't change the traditional way, your mindset is different, you don't think like a typical demon, which could be dangerous…it can and  _has_  caused problems. But…" Alastair yanked Dean's head to the side and whispered in his ear, his hot breath making Dean try to pull away in disgust. "Because of this…because of that little spark of humanity you hold onto…you're not strong. You're a shell of a demon. And it allowed me to capture you and now with one stab to the heart, I can end you for good, erase this repulsive problem from existence."

Dean always knew he was different than most demons…he could see the differences more and more clearly as time went on and he adjusted. At first Dean had tried to vehemently deny it, but he became more understanding to the idea that he was changing, not becoming human, but able to relate more and allow himself to feel.

If he had been so different right off the bat…now…now he must be quite a site for the other demons. No wonder it was so difficult for Alastair to comprehend him, why he was so confused and losing his mind on why he couldn't make Dean change to be just like the rest of those mindless, violent, emotionless freaks.

Alastair didn't have the ability to understand it like Dean did. He never would. He didn't have the humanity that Dean had, not even an ounce.

"So it's too bad you can't see that brother of yours before you die…not that he'd want to see you anyway. But you can say goodbye to your little friend before I slice her throat."

The demon let go of Dean and walked over to Heather.

Maybe…maybe since Alastair didn't understand Dean and didn't know that his remaining humanity actually made him stronger…smarter…maybe Dean would be able to trick him. Buy some time.

He could play along.

"It won't work," Dean said, knowing that Alastair would be curious and turn around.

He did. The demon peered over at Dean. "What are you running your mouth about now?"

Dean leaned against the wall, going for a bored posture. "I know what you're trying to do. You're going to kill her and hope it 'unleashes something in me'." Dean went all out and snarkily made quotation marks with his right hand. "You don't get it. You'll never understand that it doesn't matter what you or I do to her…it won't cause me to break."

Alastair folded his arms. "Then why don't you go ahead and kill her, if you can do so without consequences."

Dean shrugged his good shoulder. "Why should I? I don't have any reason to do so. If you're going to kill me anyway, what's the point?" He yawned, rolling his eyes up at the ceiling.

Alastair considered him for a moment and ended up smirking. "You're lying. You're putting on a show here…acting like you're amused by this all, but you're really terrified. You forget I know you better than anyone Dean, this is exactly how you acted in Hell, pretending like you were okay when you were breaking down inside."

The demon was right; it was how he had acted, which was exactly what Dean had been going for. Alastair was falling for it.

Dean pretended to look offended. "No it isn't."

"Then why don't you go ahead and show me? Pick up a knife and stab her. We'll see how you react then."

Alastair knew Dean would never turn down a chance to prove himself.

"Alright, fine." Dean walked over to the table casually and picked out a knife, walking over to Heather and stabbing her in the bicep.

The woman began screaming immediately, closing her eyes in pain. Dean focused as best as he could….he had to get Alastair to believe this…that the feeling of torture was too much and he was breaking down, giving in. He began to shake, taking deep panting breaths, his face grew dark and he pulled out the blade, holding it above him as if going to stab again…

 _Don't stab her again,_ he told himself _. Don't oversell it…._

Dean listened to his inner thoughts and he dropped the knife, falling to the ground and trembling. He held his head in his hands and groaned.

"There it is…I knew it had to be in there somewhere…I was right. It wouldn't cause you to break, huh?" Alastair chuckled darkly. "It's only a matter of time now." Dean heard the demon walk over to him. "I'll be back in around two hours. I assume that would give you enough time to play with her. Have fun."

"Why!" Heather screamed a few moments after Alastair vanished. "Why would you do that to me? You're going to lose it  _now_  after you learned your brother is coming to save us?"

Dean lifted his head to look at her, letting the façade drop. If he was right and Alastair wasn't watching him, and the demons that were watching were only looking out for any extreme behavior, he just bought himself some time. Dean smirked and stood up.

"You…that was fake?"

"Yeah, and it's a good thing that ass fell for it or we'd both be dead." Dean didn't really care if Heather died. He wouldn't feel guilty for killing her, and he could have, easily. But he didn't  _want_  to kill her, and anyway…if he had, Alastair would have been expecting him to completely snap and there was no way Dean could have acted  _that_  out believably. He was lucky enough that this had worked.

With knowing that he had Sam's total support and that his brother was coming for him, Dean could hurt or kill Heather and be just fine. He didn't have to worry about losing himself, but instead had to worry about staying alive.

Just great. Time to let his brother in on this amazing news.

_Sammy, you gotta hurry._

* * *

Sam startled when he heard Dean's voice. They had just arrived in the suburbs, on the outskirts of the city. Crowley had been able to get his demon spy to participate in the plan. He would go out on duty and 'capture' Mindy and somehow lead her into the PA room where she could perform the exorcism.

Sam was happy that things seemed to be moving along smoothly. He thought they were making good time; he'd contact Dean in a few minutes once they were in the city, but now he was hearing his brother's urgent plea to hurry.

Oh god, what was going on?

"Dean just contacted me," Sam told the group in his car so they knew to stay quiet. "It sounds bad."

 _Dean, what happened? Are you okay?_ Sam tried to concentrate while focusing on the road. Sure, there weren't any cars driving around, but that didn't mean obstacles or enemies couldn't be in his path.

_He almost fucking killed me._

Sam gasped at the words and waved his hand out the window, telling Ellen to stop. He pulled his car over and parked, concentrating on what his brother was telling him.

_He was getting tired of waiting; I was taking too long to snap. He probably wanted to get out of here before you showed up. I was able to put on an act and get him to believe I was losing it. But he's only giving me two hours and if he's not happy with my progress, I'm dead._

"Shit!" Sam cursed out loud, making sure not to send out those thoughts to Dean. The last thing his brother needed to hear was his frustration and worry. Bobby looked at him questioningly but Sam ignored him. He had to stay calm and confident when talking to Dean.

_We're on our way in. We were going to hide in a building nearby. Crowley's got someone on the inside who's going to take in Mindy…_

_Mindy? The maid chick I slept with that wanted to hook up with you too?_

Of course Dean would think of something like that to say, even in such a dire situation.  _Yes, Dean. She's going to get to the PA by pretending she got captured and then we're going to storm the place, but try to be quiet about it._

 _But I thought the demons were keeping the human slaves in that apartment building I stormed into a few weeks ago?_  Dean questioned.

_Crowley said they take the humans they find to the closest base. The apartment was one but they also have humans locked up in the library too._

_You think you can do that before two hours go by?_

Sam thought about it. There was no reason it shouldn't be able to happen.  _Yeah, we will. But Dean, you told me you saw some of Alastair's minions? Do you know how many there were and what they looked like?_

_Uh, three came in the room. All in really strong and beefy male meatsuits. Two were white and one was black. Why?_

_We think that most of the demons don't even know Alastair is there. We think he's hiding from them for his own good. But he's probably got a small group of minions that know his plans and are ordering the other demons around. These minions are probably stronger and I want to keep a look out for them. I bet they have the lock-ward and will be left behind during the exorcism._

_Makes sense that hardly any of them knew Alastair's whereabouts. He's always been one that wanted to be menacing while being mysterious. But be careful with those demons Sammy, even with the colt..._

Sam chuckled. _You're forgetting that I can stop them with my mind, aren't you? Don't worry, I've got this._

"Sam!" Bobby's urgent voice interrupted the conversation. "We've got trouble!"

Sam focused on the road to see a car barreling toward them. After a few seconds, he could sense something...

_Demons. Shit!_

_Sam! What's wrong? Sammy!_  Dean was screaming inside Sam's head and he realized too late that he had sent out those thoughts to Dean instead of verbalizing them. Just great.

_Dean, we're being attacked! Hold on!_

Sam needed Dean to stay quiet so he could concentrate, but he severely doubted Dean would be able to do that. He jumped out of the car, motioning for everyone else to do the same. They didn't want to try driving past and risking a car chase. They had to get rid of these demons.

"Over here!" Carl was running toward a group of houses to the left. It was a good thing they had pulled over in a suburb so there were many areas that they could hide.

"We need to split up!" Sam called out and hurried to the right. There was a small, worn-down house and he hurried to the door. It wasn't locked so he was able to get inside without a hassle, entering the living room which was full of mismatched furniture. They weren't able to scan these houses for Croats, so hopefully no one ran into any, or if they did, they'd see them coming.

The door opened behind Sam and he turned the Colt on the person only to see that it was Bobby. Of course he'd choose to hide with Sam.

"Here." Sam tossed him the gun. "I can take out demons on my own, this way we can have two people that can get rid of them."

Sam wasn't even worried about the repercussions that may come if the group saw what he could do and had issues with it. He'd deal with that after he got Dean back safely.

_Sammy!_

Sam forced himself to ignore Dean's voice. The demons were just pulling up. The driver sauntered out of the car, it was a woman. Four other demons followed, none of them the burly-strong men that Dean had explained. Of course Alastair wouldn't send out his loyal followers on a possible death-mission. One of them had ordered some expendable demons to find and kill them.

"We know you're here!" the driver demon called. "Couldn't have stayed away nice and safe like you were doing, huh? Just had to try and attack us...you've gotta know you're no match for us. We would have left you alone if we never ran into you, you just signed your own death warrant!"

The demons had no idea why the group was coming. They didn't know Dean had been captured. They maybe even thought Dean was here with them.

_Sammy, fuck, are you okay? My god if you're..._

Dean sounded absolutely devastated, on the brink of hysteria. Sam couldn't ignore that, but he also needed to stay focused.

 _Busy,_  Sam sent out quickly, hoping that Dean would take the hint and not think Sam was rudely blowing him off.

Luckily, Dean seemed to understand, as Sam didn't hear another word from his brother. He turned back toward the window to peer at the demons, who were sauntering around slowly, taking their time.

How the hell were they supposed to pick them off one by one? As soon as Bobby shot one, the other four would come running for them. Sam could hold demons back with his powers, but could he do more than one at a time? The moment the demons knew where they were, they'd use their powers to attack.

Sam glanced at Bobby, the older hunter looked just as confused. Ellen had the gun with iron bullets; she'd be able to take down some temporarily. But they weren't able to communicate with the woman to let her know what demons to attack, or when.

"What's the squad out here for?"

Sam startled when he heard Ruby's voice. Peering out the window, he could see her standing in the middle of the street, all the demons focused on her.

What the hell was she doing? She couldn't handle five demons at once. Was she trying to distract them so the group could escape? Should they try to run? Or maybe attack?

"Ruby," one of the two female demons hissed. "Traitor. Coming to attack us with the Winchesters? What are you doing standing here five against one? I take it you don't want to fight."

The demons thought Dean was here too. Whatever Alastair's minions had told them, they had wanted to make them believe Dean wasn't captured.

It made sense. Sam figured that if they did know Dean was in Alastair's clutches, they wouldn't stop asking questions. They'd want to know where Alastair was, they'd want to witness Dean breaking.

So instead of telling the demons that the group was coming to rescue Dean, they informed them that the brothers and their group were planning an attack.

"Maybe I wasn't a traitor all along. I was delivering the Winchesters to you," Ruby said.

What the hell? That couldn't be. Sam hadn't seen any indication that Ruby was planning on betraying them. Then again, she did spend most of her time away from the hotel…what if she had been plotting this out? Had they made a mistake in trusting her as much as they had? Demons did lie…

The demon eyed Ruby warily. "You liar."

"Really?" Ruby crossed her arms, looking bored. "Do you really think that these few idiots would be able to storm a library filled with demons and win? Do you think I'd be that stupid as to go with them into a guaranteed death trap? I convinced them I knew a way in and was going to sell them out."

Bobby nudged Sam, looking suspicious. "What would she have to gain if she did that? She would know that the demons wouldn't forgive her, even if she did deliver us," he whispered. "She'd be killed or tortured, not rewarded."

"The same thing I'm thinking," Sam replied quickly, focusing back on the conversation outside.

"And why were you working with them this whole time?" the demon questioned Ruby.

"It's called spying, smart one. Earning their trust. Learning their secrets. I found out a lot that could help you all. I'm sure your leaders would be pleased. I'll help you capture them."

The demon continued to glare but then a smirk came over her face. Sam blinked and the expression was gone. "Well, alright. This could really get you in high standings, and in return, me as well."

Sam understood immediately. The quick smirk, the change of attitude. The demon was playing Ruby. She knew that Ruby would be captured as soon as she entered the library, that she would likely be killed, but she was leading Ruby to believe otherwise. This way the whole group could be captured and she could get credit.

The main question though was…was Ruby playing her as well?

"There's a few of them hiding over here," Ruby said and Sam tensed, preparing to fight, even if he knew the odds of winning were slim.

Ruby walked by the house, glancing toward the window. Sam locked eyes with her for just a second, but it was long enough for him to catch the wink and stern look she sent his way.

She was telling him to get ready. Ruby was about to do something.

One look at Bobby let Sam know that the older hunter had seen the exchange as well.

The other demons were still standing near the car. If Ruby was going to take care of the female demon, the one who seemed to be the leader, they'd have the chance to attack the other ones.

Sam motioned for Bobby to move toward the other window in the living room to get a better aim at the group of demons.

"What are you idiot standing there for?" the leader called out to the group. "Start looking in the other houses for the rest of them!"

The demons broke up, which was better for Sam's group, they stood a less chance of being ambushed now.

"How long should I wait?" Bobby asked, he was aiming at a chubby male demon that was about fifty feet away, walking up to a neighboring house.

Before Sam could answer, the sound of a gunshot filled the empty town. The demon startled, beginning to move away.

Sam held out his hand and used his powers to held the demon in place.

"Bobby, now!"

The older hunter didn't miss a beat, shooting the demon in the forehead. Sam let go and the body fell to the grass.

Now they had to leave the house in case any other demons saw and were coming their way, but they needed to be careful. "Out the backdoor!" Sam motioned to Bobby and they made their way through the kitchen and into the overgrown backyard.

A section of the fence had broken and fallen down, so they jumped over it. They didn't make it very far, a few feet later coming face to face with another demon, this one in a balding middle aged man. He hadn't been there two seconds ago, he must have seen them and teleported.

Before Sam could react at the sudden appearance, the demon shoved at Bobby by using his powers, knocking him into Sam and causing them both to fall to the ground.

The demon sneered, lifting it's hand up as Sam struggled to sit up and focus on the black smoke soul...

A moment later, the demon screamed, light filling it's eyes before the soul erupted. It was an amazing sight that Sam remembered only he could witness this, due to the demon blood in him.

The angel blade was pulled out of the body by Castiel, who looked at the two hunters urgently.

"Thanks," Sam gasped and Bobby nodded as well.

"We must hurry and kill the remaining demons before they attack our friends." Castiel turned and hurried across the street. While Sam could sense the demons' presence, he could only feel that the demons were near, not where they were. Castiel must be able to sense their exact location.

It was a good thing they had summoned the angel and had him on their side.

They burst into a two story colonial-style house, where a scene played in front of them. Ellen had fallen to the ground and Jo was swinging an iron bar at the demon, only for it to wave it's wrist and cause the bar to fly out of her grasp.

Before it could make a move to harm them, Sam held his hand out and latched onto the demon's soul, smirking when he watched the creature begin to struggle in panic. Bobby pulled the trigger on the Colt, lodging the bullet in the demon's back and killing it.

"Sam," Jo gasped. "Did you..."

"Stop it? Yeah, but I'll explain later. Where's the last..."

"Look out!" As soon as Jo spoke, she got thrown into the far wall, as well as Ellen and Bobby. Sam could feel the force of the demon's powers, but he held his ground, focusing on his own like Dean had taught him.

He slowly turned around, along with Castiel and they stared at the remaining demon who was looking at them in shock, unsure of what to do now that it's powers failed on them.

Sam took a step forward and the demon opened it's mouth. It was trying to flee. Of course it would choose to flee when it realized what it was up against. With a sigh, Sam grabbed onto the smoke soul before it got halfway out and put in back into the demon. It screamed when Castiel plunged the blade into its stomach.

Everyone was silent for a few moments until Ellen stood up, her eyes incredulous.

"You mind explaining how you...grabbed onto that demons soul?"

Sam shrugged. "Dean taught me."

"And you can do this...how?"

"You guys remember how I had those powers and visions years ago right? And how it was related to Yellow Eyes?" Sam waited for the two women to nod before continuing. "He bled into my mouth when I was a baby. Gave me these powers. Dean taught me how to use them for good and it's how we put Lilith back into Hell."

Ellen still looked baffled, but not exactly afraid and Jo shook her head in amazement.

"I always wondered how you were able to get a demon as powerful as Lilith back in Hell. It's pretty cool if you ask me."

"If it were any demon other than Dean…," Ellen started, almost as if she were giving a warning.

"That's why I didn't tell you before. How do you think you would have reacted back when you hated him and thought he was evil and like the rest of them?"

"I know Sam. I was wrong. But can you blame me?"

Sam thought back to all the times demons had messed with their lives, all the people they killed. He remembered how he had first treated his brother when he returned. "No, I can't. But I'm glad you were able to see him for who he really is."

With things calmed down, they could hear the sound of someone yelling outside. Castiel started to walk out of the house without a word.

"Do we follow?" Jo asked.

Sam shrugged one shoulder. "I guess so."

"He sure his a strange one." Ellen cocked an eyebrow.

"You don't really get used to it," Sam told them. "He was never human so he doesn't know how to behave like us."

They followed Castiel to the home where Ruby lead the leader demon into. Sam could hear Ruby cursing and he walked inside just in time to see her knock down a Croat and sever it's neck. Carl was in the room as well, standing next to a few other dead Croats.

"What the hell happened in here?" Bobby questioned.

Ruby folded her arms. There was blood splattered all over her shirt. "I shot lady-demon over here in the head with the iron bullets." She kicked at the host body that laid on the ground. "It blinded her just like it did to Dean and then angel boy stabbed her before running out to rescue your stupid asses. The Croats must have been left-overs that were wandering around this town. They heard the noise and decided to try and get a little snack."

"I thought you really were going to sell us out for a minute," Sam told her.

Ruby huffed. "Do you think they would ever let me on their side? No matter what I did, they'd kill me. When I choose a side, I stick with it. There's no going back."

"Well at least you sold it to her," Sam said, but before he could say any more, a crackling static noise was heard.

It seemed to be coming from the demon's body. Sam knelt down, finding a two-way handheld radio.

"You get them yet? Hurry your ass up," a gruff voice spoke from the radio. Sam looked up at the group.

"What do we do?" he asked. "It sounds like she was supposed to tell them when she captured us. If they never hear back, Alastair will just make his minions send out more reinforcements."

"We can tell them that she captured us," Ruby said. When Sam gave her an odd look, she continued. "If I possess the body, I can use her voice and tell them that she's on the way back with us. They'll never know the difference and it will buy us some time. I just need some help from those powers of yours."

Well, it looked like everyone was going to see his powers in action a bit more. But it was good. This way, if Sam needed to tap into his powers at any time when they went to rescue Dean, Ellen, Jo and Carl wouldn't get scared and freeze up.

Sam transferred Ruby's smoke cloud into the body and despite the shocked looks from the Harvelles' and Carl, he felt only confidence. He wasn't going to be ashamed of these powers, no matter what anyone thought. He was using them for good.

"Sam, how in the world...," Carl gasped, but he didn't look afraid.

"Ellen an Jo can explain to you how I can do this," Sam told him. "They're part of the reason I have the connection with Dean that I have... _Dean_! Shit, I need to get in contact with him, I stopped when we were getting attacked." Sam looked back toward Ruby, who was in the other body and holding the radio. "You have this under control?"

"Yeah, and I need you all to leave or shut up anyway while I talk to them. Go chit-chat with big brother, he's probably on the verge of hyperventilating because he's imagining that you're dead."

Sam had no doubt that was exactly what Dean was doing right now.

He hurried out of the house and walked over to the car where he wouldn't be interrupted.

_Dean! We just killed all the demons. We're going to get back on the road in a few minutes. You okay?_

Sam heard nothing for a few moments and he was about to try again when he heard Dean's voice, he could hardly make it out, sounding not much louder than a whisper.

 _Sammy….Sammy, shit are you...are you okay?_  Dean sounded so choked up that a lump formed in Sam's throat. Dean hadn't known what kind of danger Sam was in, for all his brother knew, he could have been killed.

As much as Sam had been worrying himself sick over what was happening to Dean, he hadn't realized Dean was doing the same thing. They never truly felt at ease unless they were together.

_I'm okay, don't worry…_

_Don't worry? I didn't know what the hell was happening to you! I don't have your back, these demons could've…_ Dean sounded out of breath and Sam didn't know how that was possible, since it wasn't even their voices they were using. But it just went to show how worked up he had gotten.

_Dean, I know. But I have the group here with me. We handled it quickly. Of course I'd feel safer with you, but nothing happened. I need you to relax, okay?_

Dean was silent for a few moments and Sam understood it as his brother taking some time to compose himself. It was in this minute of silence that Sam realized just how much time they had wasted, they were way off schedule now.

_Dean, do you know how much longer until Alastair…_

_Don't worry about it Sammy. Nothing you could do with the demons…._

_Dean, how long._

_Probably about an hour._

Shit, they were running out of time! They had to get into the city and contact Crowley to let him know when they were ready.

_We're on our way, we'll be leaving now. Don't worry Dean, we're gonna get there in time._

_Sammy, if you can't, it's okay. I don't want you to…_

Sam tensed, understanding what Dean was trying to say. His stupid brother who was trapped by his torturer and was still more concerned about Sam's wellbeing.

_Dean. Shut the hell up. I'm going to save you._

He wasn't going to let his brother down, not this time.

* * *

Sam felt like it took hours to get into the city when it really had taken twenty minutes. They didn't run into any more demons, thanks to Ruby tricking them with the radio, but there were some roads that were blocked by fallen trees and telephone poles thanks to the last big storm. They had to search for alternate routes, Sam snapping at Bobby occasionally, who had taken over driving, telling him that they had to hurry, he had to drive faster.

Dean talked to him about every five minutes. His tone was light but Sam could sense the nervousness that his brother was trying to hide. Alastair wasn't going to play nice this time. If Dean wasn't close to a raving lunatic when he returned, he was going to kill him.

 _I can't fake it,_ Dean had told him.  _I could fake myself starting to loose my mind, but there's no way I could pretend to completely snap. He wouldn't fall for it. And I can't let myself go there and actually torture the girl._

Sam was proud that Dean knew his limits, that he was willingly staying away from torture this time around. But his resistance would lead to Alastair ending his life.

For the first time, Sam understood on a deeper level just how conflicting his thoughts must have been in Hell, how well Alastair was at trying to manipulate him. It must be such an intense struggle for Dean's greatest strength-the ability to hold onto his humanity-to be treated as his biggest weakness. The amount of times Dean must have been compared to the other demons and degraded because of his human-like appearance...it was a miracle Dean had been able to hold on and not simply give up.

Dean should be so damn proud of that, not ashamed.

Sam made a mental note to tell his brother all this until he believed it. But right now, he only had about a half an hour to start the rescue mission.

They left their cars a quarter mile away from the library, too afraid to get any closer and have the demons hear the engines. By the time they made it to the building Crowley told them to hide out in, they had only twenty minutes left before Alastair was set to return to Dean.

His brother was only two blocks from Sam but with all the demons in the library, it was more like he was half a world away.

Sam hurried inside with the group where a male demon stood impatiently, a woman at his side - Mindy.

"Vincent?" Sam questioned, getting ready to use his powers if the demon tried anything.

"Yeah, about time too. You're lucky I chose patrol this area of town so it was clear of any other demons." He folded his arms.

"Why are you even helping us?" Bobby questioned, obviously cautious about the demon's motives. "How do we know you're not just going to hurt Dean?"

"If I wanted to hurt Dean, I'd let him stay there. If he's really captured by Alastair, there's nowhere worse he could be right now," the demon grunted and Sam knew it was true. "I'm doing this so I get promoted through Crowley. Nothing like getting on the King of Hell's good side."

"If you want to get on the king's good side, why not Alastair? He's the king right now," Bobby questioned.

"I don't agree with his ways. He's supposed to be some master torturer and can't even break Dean? That measly thing is barely a demon at all."

Sam took a step forward. "Say one more thing about my brother and I'll send you straight back to Hell after we're through with this mission."

"Relax." Vincent's harsh tone didn't match the fright in his black eyes. He was well aware of what Sam was capable of and that the threat was very much real. "I've got no beef with your brother."

"Good. Then hurry up and get a move on." Sam turned to Mindy. "Thank you, thank you so much."

Mindy shrugged with a smile. "Dean was always decent. He helped to save us from Lilith, so why not help him out too?"

"Just be careful. I'm worried that the leftover demons might find you after you state the exorcism."

Mindy's smile turned to a smirk. "It's not like they can kill me and take me to Hell, Crowley owns me. So, it's not exactly like I'm risking my life."

Sam smiled but didn't watch them leave. Instead, he looked down at his watch. Fifteen minutes. They needed to hurry.

"Everyone prepared?" Sam asked. Bobby had the colt, Cas the angel blade. They would hopefully be fine. It was Ellen, Jo and Carl that he was worried about. Sure, Ellen held onto the gun with iron bullets, which would at least blind the demons, but Jo and Carl had nothing but iron bars. Those three needed to stay in a group to avoid getting ambushed.

As for Ruby, Sam wasn't concerned about her. She could hold her own, and it wasn't like the demons had any weapons that could kill her.

The only other weapon was Ruby's knife, which was now in Alastair's possession...ready to kill Dean.

"We're ready." Bobby told him. He looked like he wanted to talk some more, but Sam turned away and looked out the dirty windows, up into the sky in the direction of the library.

Vincent would leave his host's body after he escorted Mindy to the PA room. His smoke cloud would rush out into the sky, freeing himself before the exorcism could be read. It was also a signal for them to get ready.

Once Mindy finally did read off the exorcism, the sky would be filled with dozens, maybe close to a hundred, demon clouds that would shoot up into the air before plunging into the ground, back to Hell. That would be their cue to get moving and ambush the library.

"Sam." Bobby put a hand on Sam's shoulder, causing him to startle slightly. "I need to tell you something before we go."

"Make it quick Bobby," Sam said, never taking his eyes off the sky.

The older hunter sighed. "When we get to Dean..." Sam was glad Bobby didn't say 'if'. "You have to be prepared for what you might find."

Sam looked at Bobby for a quick moment. "What are you talking about?"

Bobby took a deep breath, seeming wary of what he was about to say next. "I know Dean's been holding on...but if Alastair managed to break him in any way..."

"He hasn't," Sam growled. "I just talked to Dean. He's okay."

"We don't know for sure. Your brother's good at putting up a front. If his head is messed up and he isn't himself..."

"Are you suggesting that we kill Dean?" Sam hissed in a whisper. "Because even if something did happen to him, I would  _never_  give up on him. I'd fix him!"

"Sam, that's not what I'm saying at all, damn it! I'm saying that we need to take precautions if there is anything astray with Dean. We'd have to keep an eye on him, maybe keep him in your suite for a while..."

Sam looked his friend right in the eye. "Bobby, if anything were wrong with Dean, you wouldn't lock him up like some animal. Me and him would leave. I'd go with him to someplace I could help him where he wouldn't feel ashamed or trapped. But that is  _not_ going to happen. Dean's a lot stronger than you think."

Sam turned away, furious. He tried to control his feelings, to remember that Bobby hadn't seen Dean in the dream world, he hadn't seen that while his soul was badly damaged, it was still so human. He didn't get to see all the moments where Dean laughed freely and shared memories with Sam, where he was open and honest and let Sam in to his most personal experiences in Hell.

Bobby may trust Dean, but he didn't have the faith in him that Sam did. No one ever would. The others may be feeling the same way.

Dean would prove them all wrong. And Sam would make sure they knew it.

There was no use in dwelling on it anymore at the moment. Sam impatiently focused his attention back to the outside, when he heard Dean's frightened voice in his head.

_Sammy...he's back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Please let me know your thoughts and feelings about the chapter if you have the time. I will try and get to work on the next one ASAP, but I'm leaving next Friday for Florida. Hopefully I can finish before then if work slows down!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone I'm back from vacation! I had a really nice time and I was also able to right some of the chapter every night, so that's why you're getting this update now. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 25**

_Sammy, he's back._

When Alastair appeared, Dean knew this was the end. He had failed to kill Heather and the demon had made it clear that this was his final chance.

Alastair was going to kill him with the knife he had taken from Dean. Sam had been so close but Dean had failed to stall his tormentor for long enough. He was going to be gone for good, never see his brother again. What would become of Sam?

He hoped his brother could move on, that he could still be happy, even if he didn't have his soulmate to share his life, and then afterlife with.

_I'm sorry Sammy._

_No! Don't you give up Dean! I'm not waiting for any signal, I'm coming in right now. You keep fighting, do you hear me?_

It was with Sam's words that Dean realized...he wasn't content with dying. Even if by some miracle Sam would be okay without him...Dean didn't want to stop living. He hadn't fought to get out of Hell and adjusted back to life on Earth for nothing. He had been having fun, he had been  _happy_ , something he originally thought a demon could never be. His life wasn't something he was going to give up easily.

He was going to fight. For his brother _and_ for himself.

So when Alastair approached him, demon-killing knife in hand, Dean prepared himself for combat.

He may not stand any chance, but it was better than nothing. It could buy Sam some more time.

"This is really too bad," Alastair seethed, walking closer. "I gave you endless opportunities. Your life would have been spared, and your brother's...now, you're both going to die, all because you refuse to become a real demon."

Alastair really believed there was some switch in Dean that he could just turn off and become some malicious and careless murderer. Was that how most demons were? He couldn't understand the complexity of Dean's mind, of his soul. He would never understand why his plan failed so horribly.

"Well then come and get me already," Dean taunted, hoping to draw Alastair into some conversation.

But it seemed the demon was too fed up to do even that. "In a minute Dean, wait your turn." He turned toward Heather, causing the woman to scream.

Should he attempt to stop the demon? It could be the perfect opportunity to fight back, or it could cause Alastair to plunge the blade into him sooner. Should he sit and wait, hoping that Alastair would get caught up in torturing Heather before he killed her?

The woman screamed again and Dean made his choice. He lunged at Alastair's back, wrapping his arms around the demon's neck, ignoring the searing pain in his broken one.

If he did get out of this alive, Heather was one other person that now trusted him. He couldn't afford to have any possible allies dying when they were hard enough to come by.

Dean's attack attempt didn't last long. Alastair reached out with his powers and flung him off, causing him to smash into the far wall at an incredible speed. It had been so powerful that his vision blacked out, if only for a second. He shook it off and stared up at the approaching demon, whose eyes had gone completely white.

Even if Dean didn't have the room somehow blocking off his powers, he wouldn't have stood any better of a chance. Demons couldn't use their powers against other demons, unless the one being attacked was held captive by a devil's trap, or if the demon in question was extraordinarily powerful, like Alastair.

"Got more fight in you than I thought, just for the wrong purposes." Alastair shook his head, staring down at Dean with an intense hatred. "Such a shame."

"You know me, I was always gonna go down swinging."

Alastair's expression changed into an evil smirk. "You didn't when you were sobbing in Hell, begging for your little brother to save you. You were desperate and weak and I'll make sure you see that before I end you."

Dean blinked and did a double take. What? He watched as Alastair placed Ruby's knife on the table and picked up a power drill instead.

Oh. He was going to torture him. He didn't want Dean dying thinking that he was brave. It would be some sort of small victory for Alastair to prove that he was right in how weak Dean was. If he couldn't get him to snap and go evil, at least he could reduce him to a quivering mess before he killed him.

Dean should have figured that the torture would be too tempting for Alastair to resist. Dean had a hard time with it himself sometimes, but Alastair? He was the king of torture, it was who he was. Even though he had attempted the mental manipulation, the pull of causing physical pain was too hard to deny.

But this was a good thing. Alastair was getting too caught up in wanting to hurt him, even at the expense of being able to kill Dean quickly. It could all be over in a second, but Alastair wanted to make it last, wanted to harm the being that caused him so much frustration.

"Oh don't worry, this won't be the same old technique." Alastair chuckled darkly. "I've learned quite a bit since our last session.

Dean would just have to hold on and hope Alastair would be entertained in the torture for long enough until Sam got here.

Dean swallowed, trying to put on a brave face, and smirked. "Well then, bring it on."

* * *

As soon as Sam heard that Alastair was back, he knew he couldn't wait around any longer. He needed to act now, no matter if the exorcism was completed or not.

It was the only chance of saving Dean.

"Dean's in trouble! We have to go now!"

"But the exorcism...we haven't seen any demon clouds get extracted...," Ellen mentioned.

 _I'm sorry Sammy._ Dean's hopeless words echoed through Sam's mind and the younger brother felt like he wanted to scream. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be the end, he just needed a little more time!

_No! Don't you give up Dean! I'm not waiting for any signal, I'm coming in right now. You keep fighting, do you hear me?_

"Sam, what's going on? You have to tell us boy," Bobby was speaking to him. "Our plan was to..."

"Yes! I know!" Sam shouted, waving out his arms in exasperation. "We were supposed to wait until the demons were extracted! But Dean just told me Alastair's back! He doesn't have much time! If we wait any longer..."

"Sam." Ellen was shaking her head. "Walking in there now...with all those demons...it would be a death trap."

"She is correct," Castiel agreed. "Those demons would immediately destroy your human friends and I am afraid I am not powerful enough to defeat them all."

Sam glared at them both, readying his weapons. "Maybe. You don't want to go in there? Fine. I'm going to go save my brother or die trying."

"Just hold on a minute Sam..." Bobby spoke up.

"Hold on?" Sam turned around to face his friend. "For what? For Dean to die? This was a stupid plan anyway. What if Mindy can't perform the exorcism on her own? The demons are bound to try and stop her as soon as they hear the chanting start. We could be sitting here waiting for nothing. We need to try and get in and create a distraction so the demons don't stop her."

"I'm going in." Ruby suddenly spoke up, shocking everyone. She grabbed an iron bar that they had brought with them, able to hold it from the gloves that she wore.

"What?" Sam questioned. Ruby had seemed reluctant about most of their plan and only concerned about her own safety the entire time. Now she was willing to charge into a building full of demons that wanted to kill her, while the rest of the group was too afraid to do so?

"You'd be going through the east entrance right? I'll teleport just inside there, start beating up on some demons. If I embed this iron bar into their brain, it might blind them, right? I'll be able to clear a path for you guys to get in and I'll be a distraction."

"Why are you willing to do this?" Bobby asked, obviously thinking the same as Sam. "They'd want to capture you just like they did Dean."

"No," Ruby huffed. "They'd want to kill me. But if we don't save Dean and Alastair kills him, I'm as good as dead anyway. And so are all of you. This is the last chance we have." She glared across at the hunters in the room. "You all so owe me," she hissed and then vanished from sight.

"Now! Let's go!" Sam called out and sprinted out of the door, toward the library. He didn't bother to see if anyone had decided to follow him on his rescue mission, or if they still believed it was a lost cause. It didn't matter. He would save Dean with or without them.

But soon, he could hear the pounding of footsteps behind him. Sam risked a quick glance backwards, he needed to check if it were demons or Croats...or even the controlled monsters, that were following him.

Instead, he saw everyone, Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Castiel and Carl, running to catch up with him.

Sam hated that they had started reconsidering the mission, turning their backs on Dean. But they had really only been worrying about their lives. And they never had actually stated that they were giving up on Dean. It would have been a death trap and it made sense that the group had wanted to plan things out.

If they didn't care about his brother, they wouldn't be following Sam right now.

Sam made it to the entrance in under a minute, encountering no obstacles along the way. While he waited for the rest of the group to catch up, he tried to reach out to his brother. He knew Dean was still alive, because he could sense their connection, but who knew what was happening to him right now?

_Dean? You with me? We're about to come in._

There was silence for a moment, before Dean's voice came through, sounding extremely pained. Sam was on edge immediately, his ever-present concern for his brother skyrocketed.

_Sammy...don't worry...I'm delaying him..._

Delaying him? What the hell did that mean?

_Dean, you're in pain! What's going on? What's he doing to you?_

_You know...torture...but it will keep him occupied for a while so it's...ahh! It's all good!_

Sam heard the yelp of pain and flinched. If Dean couldn't hold back his pain, what Alastair was doing had to be terrible, most likely unimaginable.

A cloud of anger filled Sam upon imagining his brother's condition. He was sick and tired of Dean, who was trying so hard to hold onto himself and doing such a good job, constantly getting harmed. If he could take down Alastair, it would be one less thing his poor brother would never have to worry about. Dean could at least be at peace with knowing his torturer would never lay a finger on him again.

"Sam." It was Bobby, who was laying a hand on his shoulder. Sam hadn't even noticed him approach. "Are you ready?"

Sam didn't answer, kicking open the door that Ruby must have disarmed, and stepped inside.

_I'm coming Dean. You just hold on big brother._

"About time!" Ruby's annoyed voice filled the hallway that the group had entered. It looked to be a janitorial area, dank and dark, closed off from the main library. A few rooms ran along the hallway, containing cleaning supplies and storage, with one being a break room. Only a few dim lights kept the area lit up enough so they could see in front of them. Sam was glad that the demons seemed to always use generators in their hideouts, it made things easier for them to get to Dean.

Five demons lay on the ground, bleeding from their heads. Ruby had another one pressed against the wall, the iron bar lodged in its skull. She pulled the bar out and let the demon drop to the ground. Sam wouldn't have stood a chance fighting off demons in this small enclosed area if he had gone in alone.

"What happened?" Sam asked, stepping over some of the bodies and kicking the others out of his way.

"They're not very loyal. Surprised a few, fought with the others that ran out from the break room and I got the upper hand. The iron to the brain did knock them out. When they woke up blind, they all scrammed, took off out of their hosts."

As if to prove her point, the demon at her feet began to stir and panic. After a few seconds, it opened its mouth, allowing its soul to escape and rapidly zip out of the building.

Part of Sam was surprised that Ruby fought off six demons, but she was an excellent fighter, and these demons, while they had strong powers and hosts, didn't mean they were actually skilled in hand to hand combat. Sam knew this from experience from the number of demons he and Dean had been able to take down in the past.

_Ahhhh Sam!_

Sam startled at the sound of his brother's voice. He hadn't remembered hearing Dean in so much pain since the two times the hellhounds had torn him apart.

 _Dean! Dean, are you okay?_ Sam panicked, but received no response. Did Dean even know he was calling out to him? Or was it like one of those rare times their subconscious contacted the other when their emotions were out of control?

Dean must be in extreme distress. He would have never wanted Sam to know how much he was hurting.

"Dean's being tortured  _right now_." Sam told Ruby sharply, his tongue felt heavy in his throat and he tried to blink back tears. Now wasn't the time to show weakness. He needed to take his brother's yells of pain and use them to fuel himself into action. He moved forward. "We have to find the PA..."

A heavy door opened at the end of the hallway that was only ten feet away from Sam. He turned around and held his ground, holding his gun out in front of him and also tapped into his powers...

It was a werewolf, like the ones that had been guarding the apartment building with the human slaves. Sam should have figured that clearing out the demons didn't mean they were safe! They had feral monsters to fight off as well.

Sam reached for his knife, the one that was silver, preparing to fight...

The werewolf took one look at them, the controlled animalistic expression changed to one of recognition and it stepped to the side, passive.

What the hell?

Sam didn't drop his knife, staring the creature down. "Why are you letting us through?"

The werewolf didn't answer, staring straight ahead, it's stance ridged, but calm.

"It's still being controlled, isn't it?" Ellen ordered for Jo to stand back near Castiel and walked closer to Sam, looking at the unresponsive monster. "But...why would it be told not to attack us?"

"Eve...the one who is controlling it...must know we're here and want us to win...sending out orders for the monsters not to harm us," Sam supplied. "She must be using us to kill Alastair. I knew these two huge sources of power were planning to betray the other...looks like she is going to come out on top."

"But even with Alastair dead...she's still around. Who knows what she has planned once she doesn't have to work with him," Bobby pointed out.

"Well the first thing she'll do is send the monsters to attack us as soon as he's dead, she's only keeping us alive to kill Alastair for her." Sam shook his head. "We can worry about her later, that's a whole separate problem that we can't tackle right now."

Sam stabbed the creature in the heart anyway as they passed it, one less enemy for them to deal with when they made their escape.

As they were sneaking their way down the staircase, Ruby taking the lead, a static sound filled the air, screeching a few times before getting quiet.

Sam could hear an intake of breath echo through the building and then... "Exorcizamus te..."

* * *

Dean tried to dodge Alastair's attack with the iron bar, missing it by inches this time. Heather screamed in protest, yelling pointlessly for Alastair to stop. The demon was having fun torturing the woman by making her watch this mess. Just hours ago she had been terrified of Dean himself, now she wanted his pain to stop. Funny how things turned out.

Alastair had brought his own supply of torture tools with him, all of them objects that would poison demons. Dean had tried his best to fight back, but without his powers, he was no match for the white-eyed demon. All Alastair had to do was grab onto his bad arm to bring Dean down.

At least fighting back had proved to waste some time. Alastair thought it was hilarious and had taunted Dean, having fun in watching him fail miserably every time.

Dean reached up to grab at the bar when Alastair swung again, the palm of his hand sizzling in pain when in came in contact with the poison iron.

"That all you got?" Dean grunted, his teeth clenched.

He expected Alastair to taunt and insult him some more, but instead it looked like he was growing tired with Dean's game. It was only a matter of time before it happened, Dean had just hoped it wouldn't be so soon. The demon grabbed Dean when he charged at him and twisted both his good and bad arm behind his back, tying them together with rope and then doing the same with Dean's thrashing legs.

With Dean having none of his demonic strength, he couldn't even pull his arms out of the stupid rope.

Alastair laughed. "Once again, just more proof on how weak and pathetic you are."

Thirty minutes later, Dean sure felt that way.

Now he was subjected to all of Alastair's physical attacks, all of his torture techniques. He couldn't do a thing but sit there and take it. The evil bastard had been pissed off when he tried dousing Dean with holy water and even though steam came from his skin, Dean hardly even flinched.

"Building an immunity?" Alastair had questioned, seething. "At such a weak level? Didn't think demons as young as you could do that. This will come in handy for strengthening my army."

He had then proceeded to try numerous way of poisoning him, trying to see how much Dean could take, and if he were more advanced than other demons of his rank.

It was painful as...or maybe even worse than Hell. In Hell, his soul...which had worked like a body, wouldn't heal. Injury after injury would add up, and after a while, it all kind of blended in. The pain became a constant and eventually...there would be nothing left of him and his 'body' would reappear, only for the process to begin again.

But here...on Earth...he was in a real body...a body that kept trying to heal itself. Every time it started to, Alastair would attack him again. The pain was even worse on skin that was trying so desperately to put itself back together. Dean was in shock over how much more real this felt over Hell. And he had thought nothing could feel as bad as it did down in the pit...

Even though he tried to remain stoic and calm through the torture, inside he was screaming. He knew it was only a matter of time before Alastair became bored and picked up Ruby's knife instead of the iron bar.

He was fucking terrified and wanted nothing else than to make Alastair feel the pain he was suffering through right now.

"Heard an iron bullet to the brain took away your sight." Alastair chuckled. "Wonder what five would do? Oh, and how about one to the heart?"

The demon picked up a gun, but before he could shoot, the most wonderful sound could be heard over Heather's crying.

It was Mindy, over the PA. She was chanting the exorcism. She was reading it slow as hell, but at least he might stand a chance at getting saved.

"I told you he'd come for me." Dean coughed out some blood.

Alastair looked flustered for just a moment, but quickly recovered.

"That doesn't sound like little Sammy to me."

Dean growled at the use of Sam's nickname. "You know he's here. And you know he's strong enough to stop you."

Alastair looked at Dean with mock sympathy. "Oh Dean, I'm completely prepared for your brother's powers, unlike Lilith. All I have to do is shoot him before he can concentrate. He is only human, after all."

The demon picked up the iron bar again, walking toward Dean menacingly. "I kill Sammy, bring his soul to Hell, you snap at losing your brother and I gain you on my side...then eventually I'll gain your brother as well. Look at it on the bright side! If you start to show promise, I might even allow you to be the one to torture him, turn him into a demon!"

Dean couldn't help it, he willed his broken and battered body upwards, trying to lunge at his enemy.

Alastair brought the thick iron bar through his stomach and smashed it into the plaster of the wall.

Dean let out a blood curdling scream, yelling out his brother's name. The four foot long bar had actually gone right through him! One end was stuck in the wall and the other stuck out about a foot in front of his stomach.

Dean panted, trying not to pass out as the poison spread throughout his body. Alastair walked closer, twisting the end of the bar upwards so Dean couldn't slide his body out of it.

He was trapped, pinned to the wall by this poison object and even if he didn't have the toxic iron weakening him, the wards in this room had completely dulled even his demonic strength.

Alastair laughed manically. "Sammy will take one look at your condition and freeze up while I put a bullet into his skull."

* * *

With the exorcism started, Sam finally allowed himself to feel some sort of relief. Ruby flinched slightly at the words being spoken. Sam knew the pain would get worse for her as the exorcism continued, but she would be okay with the lock ward she had tattooed on her body. However, with her senses dulled, Ruby wouldn't be as much of a help without being able to focus clearly and fight off any approaching danger.

"That bitch better hurry the hell up," Ruby grunted, walking down the hallway a bit slower. Sam got impatient and pushed past her. He could hear the shouts and groans of demons panicking now. It sounded like there were a good amount in this area, but they would hopefully be too overcome with pain to overpower the group.

_Sammy!_

Sam gasped and bit his lip at Dean's horrific scream. He tried not to think of what was happening to his brother and instead, on the fact that he needed to save him as soon as possible. He opened the door to find himself near the reference section. Demons were scrambling and buckling in pain, a few of them choosing to leave their hosts and flee the library if they had the strength to do so.

One of the demons turned and noticed him, but collapsed to the floor in anguish instead of chasing after him.

"Alright, come on!" Sam called to the rest of the group that it was okay to emerge from the hallway.

Mindy was halfway done with the exorcism and Sam figured that not all the demons were overcome by the pain it brought on. Some had to be stronger, or bound by the lock ward, and would be heading to Mindy to stop her.

"Over there!" Jo pointed toward a group of three demons sprinting toward the center of the library.

Sam took off after them, only to hear a yell from behind him. He turned around to see that a demon had attacked Jo, pushing her to the floor and landing on top of her. She swung the iron rod, hitting it in the head and stunning it, allowing herself to push the demon off of her.

Ellen hurried to help her daughter up but the demon was already rising.

Sam held his hand out, focusing. The demon began to panic, but Sam already had a hold on its soul. Before he could push past the barrier of the lock ward to send the demon back to Hell, Castiel shoved the angel blade into its stomach.

"Thank you," Jo breathed, looking between Sam and Castiel. It was a good thing they had the angel blade with them in case Sam wasn't there to exorcise a demon with his powers.

The slow reading of the exorcism suddenly paused, and Mindy's scream echoed over the PA. Sam could hear the demons' yells turn into groans. They would be getting up and regaining their strength if the exorcism wasn't completed.

But when Sam had turned around to help Jo, he had lost sight of where the demons had been running to.

"It's probably by the main desk!" Carl told him, taking the lead as everyone followed him. "I used to go here a lot back when I was in high school."

They reached the large wooden desk and Sam saw a door that probably led to a few small offices behind it. The PA must be in there somewhere! Just as he went to hop over the desk, a fallen demon grabbed his ankle, trying to pull him down.

A gunshot filled Sam's ears and he looked over to see Bobby pointing the Colt at the demon's head.

"I'll hold them off! Me and Cas will kill 'em. You go inside, hurry!"

"I'm coming too," Carl followed Sam, leaving the Harvelles with Bobby and Cas to try and stop the horde of demons that were going to regain their strength and try to stop them. Sam prayed that they would be okay. It wasn't like Ruby was much help, leaning against the wall out of breath.

The two men entered the small hallway behind the desk to hear commotion happening to their right. They ran down to see two rooms. Carl opened up one only to reveal a room filled with books stacked up on some tables.

That meant Mindy was in the other room, along with some of Alastair's most trusted minions that would stop at nothing to kill them.

"Get ready," Sam told Carl and threw open the door.

A demon had Mindy pinned to the ground and Sam hurried to latch onto its soul before it could kill the woman. Another demon came charging at Carl, and he whacked it in the head with his iron bar.

Sam didn't have time to pull the demon's soul to Hell, as the third one ran toward him and knocked him off balance. Shit! Sam pushed out with his powers and sent both demons flying into the wall.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Mindy grab onto the handheld PA speaker.

"The spell! They tore it up!" she cried, looking over at a piece of shredded paper on the ground.

"Quick throw it to me!" Sam called out to her, reaching his hand out.

Mindy tossed him the speaker and Sam turned it on, beginning to chant right where Mindy left off. The demons ran at him, they weren't as affected as the ones Sam had seen stumbling around, and must be stronger. He held out his hand, pushing a demon down while he continued the exorcism.

Carl charged at one of them and Sam was grateful. He couldn't concentrate on sending the demons to Hell while also reciting an exorcism. The most he could do was push them away or freeze them in place, so having Carl here was necessary.

Mindy started throwing objects at the demons to distract them. One of them stood up and held it's hand out towards her, ready to attack. Sam hurried and shifted his attention to stop the demon where it stood, leaving Carl to fend for the other two.

But Carl wouldn't have to for long...Sam was almost done...just a few more words...

"... _fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus deus. Gloria patri!"_ Sam bellowed and even though he couldn't see it, he could feel the rush of dozens of demons leaving their hosts and getting sent back down to Hell.

The shock of it even caused the three warded demons to freeze for a moment, and Sam wasted no time before grabbing onto one's soul, sending it back to Hell. As he did so, he held out his other hand to freeze the second demon. It struggled in Sam's grasp and he glared at it.

"You'll have your turn," he hissed. "Be patient."

Carl had been able to get the upper hand on the third, whacking it over the head over and over with his weapon.

Sam then shifted his powers on the second demon, repeating the process until the third was back in Hell as well. He felt a bit dizzy, never using his powers so much in such a short time, but he had to shake it off and recover. He needed his powers to be strong when he went in to face Alastair.

"Sam, you okay?" Carl asked, and Sam noticed that he had been panting. "We can take a breather..."

"No." Sam shook his head vehemently. "We can't afford that. We need to get to Dean now." He couldn't afford any weakness, especially not at the time when he needed his strength the most. "The basement, we need to find out where it is!"

Mindy followed the group and Sam handed her an extra iron dagger he had. "You going to stick around and help?" he asked.

"Of course. Gotta make sure Alastair dies, if not, I think Crowley would kill me out of frustration."

Sam understood then. Mindy wasn't in this to save Dean, like she had told him in the beginning. She was doing this to save her own life. It shouldn't have come as such a surprise. Even though she wasn't a demon, she had lived around them for centuries. She was sure to have developed some demon-like tendencies.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter. She was one more set of hands to help save his brother.

But what did that say of Sam? Of the way he was regarding people as devices that could help rescue Dean, rather than individuals that he should be protecting?

Sam brushed that thought off. Dean came first, he always would. And Sam would do anything to save him, no matter how far off from his morals he may have to go.

"I've been in there once." Carl said, referring to the basement as they made their way back to the rest of the group. "There's some conference rooms and computer labs down there. I took a coding class. It was near the fiction section if I remember correctly."

Meeting up with the rest of the group, Sam was relieved to see that they didn't seem any worse for wear.

"Everyone okay?" Sam wanted to make sure.

Bobby nodded. "We held them off and all but a few were exorcised. Me an' Cas killed those that were left. We haven't seen any more."

"Alright. Carl said the basement is by the fiction section. Let's..." Sam was cut off by the shock of all the lights in the library suddenly turning off.

Everyone gasped. With it being in the middle of the night, they were left in pitch black. There were still warded demons in here, and one of them had pulled the plug on the generator in an attempt to slow them down.

Sam began fumbling for his lighter. He hadn't brought a flashlight, not assuming he would need one. Hopefully someone else in the group...

At the same time, both Ruby and Castiel created a glow of light. Ruby had a flame above her hand, similar to what he saw Dean create when fighting off Jody. Castiel's light was a soft blue glow that emitted from both his eyes and hands, a sharp contrast to the harsh light of Ruby's fire.

Before they could use the newly created light to guide them to the basement, a demon jumped out of the shadows and pounced on Bobby. The colt he had been holding fell to the ground and slid somewhere out of site. Sam could see a few other demons emerge from hiding and he turned to Castiel.

The angel seemed to finally be able to read his expression. "I will take care of the demons. You take Ruby with you to lead you to Dean."

Sam didn't have to be told twice. He located Ruby and grabbed her arm that wasn't creating the fire, dragging her over to the shelves.

"Get your hands off of me!" she growled, sounding just like Dean when Sam would manhandle him.

"Then help me find the fiction section, come on."

They didn't have to look for long. They followed the signs and before Sam knew it, there was one hanging overhead with an arrow pointing toward some stairs. 'BASEMENT: Conference rooms, computer lab, children's area' it read.

"Shouldn't there be demons guarding? Alastair's minions?" Sam questioned, not liking how clear their path seemed.

"They probably came running to stop the exorcism." Ruby shrugged.

"But still, wouldn't it be more important to guard the area where Dean is at than to save the rest of the demons from going to Hell? Why would Alastair order them to abandon their post?"

"Maybe he wants you to come down there. If you're gonna die, he probably wants to be the one to do it, right?"

Of course. Alastair was greedy and overconfident in himself. His pride had already been damaged when he couldn't break Dean, again and again. No way was he going to miss this opportunity to kill Sam.

Sam chuckled to himself. Alastair had no idea who he was messing with. He didn't get to take away his brother, capture and torture him, and get away with it.

"Okay then, let's go." Sam marched down the steps with Ruby, who shone the light of her flame near the rooms that lined the basement hallway.

It didn't take long to realize which one Dean was trapped in. The door to one of the meeting rooms had a large sigil painted over it.

"I've seen this before," Ruby whispered. "It robs the demon trapped inside of all its powers, also preventing it from leaving the room that it's in. The sigil needs to be painted with the blood of the captured demon."

Upon closer inspection, the sigil was made of blood. And there was a lot of it. Alastair had cut open his brother to make this.

The thought had Sam fuming, he went to reach for the door handle, knowing that Alastair would be waiting eagerly.

"Wait a minute you idiot!" Ruby hissed quietly. "Break that sigil first! We have to give Dean his powers back."

Of course. How stupid could Sam be?

Sam pulled out his pocket knife, scratching the blood and breaking the sigil. The smell of the dried blood travelled up his nose, familiar. It definitely was Dean's blood.

Before Sam could turn the doorknob, Ruby jumped in front of him.

"What..."

"Shut up." She glared at him, talking as quietly as possible. "Let me throw him off."

After a moment, Sam understood. With Ruby walking in first, Alastair would get thrown off his game. Whatever attack he had planned for Sam, it would hit Ruby instead.

There was little chance the attack would be fatal to her, but still, she was risking herself and Sam was in shock because of it.

He couldn't wait to tell Dean how everyone had banded together to save him.

Ruby nudged Sam, letting him know she was about to walk inside and he mentally prepared himself to use his powers.

She turned the knob and stepped inside.

Immediately, a gunshot rang out and Sam could hear Dean scream...a noise that made it sound like his life was over.

And if Dean thought it had been Sam that was shot...then it would have been.

Ruby fell to the floor and then the room filled with light, nearly blinding Sam.

 _Get down!_ Dean's voice echoed through Sam's mind and he ducked, just in time for another gunshot to whiz past his head.

Sam was disoriented, he turned around, trying to sense Alastair's location in the room, blinking to clear his vision and get used to the brightness around him.

Ruby suddenly teleported behind him, and another bullet hit her. Sam turned around to see Alastair lunging at her, this time with the demon knife.

With all the energy Sam had, he pushed out his powers, sending Ruby flying to the side and then grabbed onto Alastair.

The demon froze in place, but Sam also felt Alastair holding him hostage as well. They were both using their powers on each other in a battle to see who was stronger.

Alastair began to struggle madly, stuck in Sam's hold. Sam almost lost his grip but he clenched his fist, locking Alastair in the location that he was at, just mere inches away from Sam.

Now, he just had to break free of Alastair's grasp. Dean had taught him this long ago, on how to fight a demon's powers so they couldn't control you. Sam practiced on Dean numerous times.

But Alastair was much more powerful than Dean. Sam had to really try to focus on freeing himself without letting go of Alastair's soul in the process.

White eyes locked onto hazel ones, and Sam glared in hatred at the creature that had caused his brother so much unbearable pain.

"Won't be able to hold on for long," the ugly demon sing-songed. "And that knife won't kill me."

"Don't worry," it was Ruby who spoke up and suddenly, she vanished from the room.

"Looks like your buddy has betrayed you. That's what you get, working with demons..." Alastair's mocking was cut off by Ruby's quick reappearance.

She was holding the Colt that she must have gotten from the group upstairs. "Think again," she smirked, walking over to Sam and placing it in his free hand.

 _You got him Sammy._ Dean's weak voice was heard in Sam's mind.  _You're stronger than him, just focus._

Sam did focus. He focused on the sound of his big brother's voice. He could do this and he would save Dean. He wasn't about to let him down, not again.

Sam took a deep breath and backed up, breaking free of Alastair's powers while keeping his fist clenched. The demon struggled more, but Sam's grip remained steady. He walked around the room, noticing Heather tied up, tears and snot dripping down her face. He did a full circle and...

And saw Dean...blood dripping from his mouth and a thick iron bar impaling him through the stomach into the wall. Dean's head was tilted to one side, like he lacked the strength to hold it up, but his black eyes were open, staring straight at Sam, and a small smile formed on his bloody lips.

"Ruby, get him out," Sam said, his throat closing up at the sight of his brother and the numerous other severe injuries that he was sporting. He felt his hold waver for only a second, but he was prepared and latched back on when Alastair began to fight back. He wasn't going to waste any more time. Alastair needed to die,  _now_.

"This is for my brother, you son of a bitch," Sam growled, pointing the barrel of the gun at Alastair's forehead, at the demon who continued to smirk, even when faced with death.

Sam felt Dean hobble towards him, and suddenly, the desire to kill this creature was outweighed by another. He turned to his battered brother, who could hardly remain upright, and placed the Colt in his good hand.

The younger brother turned back around to face Alastair and smiled. "Your one failure is now going to be the death of you. How does that feel?" He steadied his trembling brother so he could get the shot off clean.

Dean deserved to be the one to end this miserable excuse of a demon's life. To kill the one that tortured him for so long, that tried to destroy him in every way possible.

Alastair actually had the guts to scream in denial.

"Nice try," Dean croaked. "But I win."

With a single shot, Dean sent a terminal bullet into Alastair's skull. The soul sparkled and fizzled, exploding in a way only demons, and Sam, could see. It was so magnificent that Sam became distracted. He didn't pay attention when the body fell onto the floor, the demon knife clattering to the ground next to it.

Before Sam knew it, Dean was on his knees, Ruby's knife in hand, stabbing the body over and over and over again, blood spraying from the body all over Dean...

"Dean!" Sam gasped, falling on the floor and grabbing onto his brother's chest, trying to pull him away. Blood pooled onto Sam's arms from Dean's gaping wound where the bar had pierced him.

For as weak as Dean was, he was using all of his adrenalin to power his actions right now. Dean stabbed the body in the skull, in the heart, anywhere he could reach, screaming obscenities at the now deceased Alastair. His curses quickly morphed into feral yells and growls of anger. Dean had gone ballistic, blinded by rage.

It was understandable, but it was scary as Hell.

Sam tightened his hold on Dean as much as he dared without trying to hurt him. "Dean! Dean, he's dead! It's over! Stop, you're safe! Dean, please!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading. I'm really curious to know what everyone thought of this chapter. Please leave a review with a few thoughts of you have the time. I'm eager to get to work on the next chapter and I hope you are eager to read it as well.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25**

_Keep going. Keep going. He needs to die. Alastair needs to die._

Those thoughts were the only ones echoing around in Dean's mind. He stabbed the demon again and again; it was as if his body was on autopilot. He didn't think he could stop, even if he wanted to. He finally had a means to release all the frustration and anger that had been building up in him the past few days and it felt so, so good to let it out.

He hadn't deserved what Alastair had done to him, he had taken enough beatings from the demon, and now it was time for Dean to return the favor. What had happened to him in Hell….what Alastair had made Dean watch…the things he did to his brother…

It hadn't really been Sam, but that didn't matter. It had felt so real. It was the idea of Alastair and his minions doing those vile things to his brother, of them promising they would do it to the real Sam…

If Dean stopped, Alastair might jump up and attack his brother, do to him what he had done to Dean in Hell….he couldn't let that happen. He had to make sure the bastard was dead, he had to protect Sam.

_You'll never get him, asshole. This is for Sam, for every time you threatened to hurt him._

Dean let those thoughts fuel him and felt free, finally feeling like nothing was holding him back. With no longer keeping in his aggression or frustration, he felt the best that he ever had. A sense of odd calm settled over Dean, the complete opposite of what his actions were conveying. He couldn't hear anything outside of the pounding of his own heart.

_Keep going. Keep going. Make sure he's dead._

_Dean? Please. Please stop._

The sudden change of tone made Dean hesitate, unconsciously slowing his rapid stabbing.

_Come on Dean. I know you can do it. You're stronger than this._

The new voice took over any thought in his mind. Slowly, he began to come to a realization that it wasn't his own voice, but was just as important….

_Come back to me big brother._

Sammy.

Dean blinked, trying to bring himself back into focus. The pull to keep spilling out his rage onto Alastair was strong, but his will to get back to Sam was stronger. He had to pull himself back; he had to be a big brother.

He looked down at the body, his hand hovering above it with the knife. Alastair was already dead, the body practically mutilated. There was no soul in the body. Besides, even if he had been still alive, the knife never hurt the demon anyway.

Dean took a deep breath and dropped the knife, feeling Sam's arms around him. Suddenly, his other senses came into focus. He could feel the searing pain in his bad arm and it gave out on him, causing him to collapse into Sam even further.

 _I've got you, don't worry,_ Sam told him through their connection and Dean felt himself truly relax. He was wrong when he thought letting himself give into his rage was the happiest he'd ever been. No, he was happiest with his brother. And right now, having Sam next to him, supporting him physically and emotionally, was the best feeling in the world.

He was back with his brother. Alastair was dead. He didn't have to worry.

Dean pushed back all his emotions and closed his eyes, letting himself calm down even further and was left completely exhausted. He remembered then how his body was deprived of food, water and sleep, on top of being tortured and emotionally drained.

"Is he okay?" Dean heard someone ask. He forced his eyes open a bit to see a group of people. Bobby, Ellen, Jo. Carl was standing next to them, with Heather leaning on the man for support. He turned his head a bit to see that Cas and Ruby were in the room as well. They all had come to save  _him_?

"Yeah..." Dean could practically hear the smile in Sam's voice. "Yeah, he's okay."

Dean felt Sam move from behind him, still keeping a hand on his back to support him. In a moment, his brother was kneeling in front of him, both hands moving to his shoulders.

Dean locked eyes with his brother and whatever Sam saw in his expression must have pleased the younger Winchester. He grinned, his eyes watering a bit and taking on that puppy dog look.

What Dean wanted to say at that moment was something snarky, some kind of joke calling Sam a crybaby. Anything to avoid his brother getting mopey.

But instead, Dean felt himself reaching out to his brother, grabbing onto his shirt with his good hand.

"Sammy."

His voice was rough and hardly a whisper but Sam didn't seem to mind. He pulled Dean forward a little too forcefully and sent pain through his bad arm, but Dean didn't complain. Sam hugged him tightly, his breath hitching and Dean clung to his brother's shirt with every ounce of strength he had.

"I thought I was going to lose you," Sam choked out.

"Nah, not this time," Dean said, coming back to his usual self.

"Not ever," the younger brother replied, his voice strong.

"Guys, you can continue your love fest later, I think we've got problems," Ruby snapped, causing both brothers to break apart and look her way. "I can hear commotion going on upstairs, looks like I'll have to teleport you guys out one by one," she continued.

"Couldn't you do more than one at a time? Dean did that with some kids...," Sam mentioned.

"And I bet he exhausted himself quickly right?" Ruby mocked. "It's too tiring doing more than one and those were only small kids."

Dean looked around him and how both Sam and Carl were supporting someone. They wouldn't be able to fight if they were attacked. Bobby was running low on bullets for the Colt...if Ruby left them in an attempt to teleport them away one by one, they'd be left without a strong demon that could fight off whatever came their way.

He sent these thoughts out to his brother, hoping he kid would know what decision was best to make.

"No." Sam shook his head. "We stick together if there's danger nearby. We need you to fight Ruby if we get attacked. If you leave then we're left vulnerable. It probably just stray demons anyway. I'm sure you and Cas can get rid of them and then Once it's safe, you can take your time and teleport us out."

Ruby shrugged. "Fine by me." He rest of the group seemed to agree with Sam's logic as well.

"Can you walk if I support you?" Sam asked Dean, looking worried. Dean didn't blame him. How the hell were they going to get out alive when Sam had to practically drag him along?

"Yeah," Dean croaked. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

Sam helped get him standing and then wrapped one arm around Dean's waist, being careful of the wound in his stomach. Dean's other arm was placed over Sam's neck in an attempt to help keep him upright.

"The boy looks like he's going to keel over any minute!" Bobby pointed out, concerned. "He should stay back here with Sam where it's safe!"

"Sam has those powers to stop demons, we need him old man," Ruby sighed. "It's not like your precious Dean is going to be killed. We even have my knife back now." She picked up the bloody blade off the floor.

"Then you can take the lead," Bobby grunted, even though he knew that had been the plan. Poor guy couldn't think of a good comeback.

"Since I am immortal, I will assist the demon in taking the lead," Castiel spoke.

"I have a damn name!"

"Enough!" Sam hissed. Dean sighed in relief, thank goodness for his brother stopping this nonsense. "Let's get moving now!"

Ruby rolled her eyes but started out of the room and down the hallway with Castiel following. The rest of the group took off after them, with Sam and Dean in the middle in order to protect them from all sides. The rest of the library was still bathed in darkness, and they only had the light provided by Ruby and Cas to assist them.

They didn't get far, at the top of the stairs; a female demon pounced out of the shadows onto an unsuspecting Ruby. Her flame went out as they rolled around, struggling. Dean squinted in the blue glow that was somehow coming out of the angel and recognized the demon as the one that had been guarding Ellen and Carl's cage. It was one of Alastair's minions.

With Alastair dead...what was she trying to do in trying to stop all of them? Wouldn't she have fled for her life? Maybe it was a pride thing, or anger at her leader's demise. She probably wanted to get revenge and wasn't thinking clearly, something that Dena understood all too well.

"What do I do?!" Bobby asked, frantic. He was pointing the Colt at the tussling demons. "If I shoot, I could get Ruby. Should I risk it?"

Castiel seemed to be considering the same thing, his angel blade ready. "I can lunge at them but I could stab her as well. Dean would be unhappy if I killed his demon lover."

"She's not..." Dean started to weakly protest before he noticed a few shadows in the distance. "Shit!" He raised his voice, feeling adrenaline muster up some strength once more. "There's something coming."

Dean felt Sam tighten his hold on him. "We've gotta turn around..."

The lights suddenly came back on, blinding everyone. Dean was able to adjust to the change quicker than the humans, and he noticed Ruby and the other demon had as well. Ruby pushed her attacker off of her and scrambled to reach her fallen blade.

Dean turned his attention to what was happening in the distance. There, he saw something that looked like a normal human man in his thirties, until his eyes briefly flickered with a shiny light. A shifter. It must be one of the controlled monsters.

But the scary thing was what it was holding. There was a leash and attached to it were five snarling Croats, biting the air and reaching out towards them.

What the hell was this?

The shifter reached over to unhook the leash…

"No!" Sam called out. "You don't have to do this. You can fight it and not listen to her. You don't want to do this."

Bobby apparently wasn't up for talking. He fired a bullet from the Colt only for the shifter to duck out of the way. It stood up with a smirk…that was unusual. These things usually were nearly feral under Eve's control, or at least that was what Dean noticed.

"Damn it I'm out," Bobby cursed, the gunchamber empty. Castiel took a step forward, but it was too late.

"Oh, I'm not under any mind control. I actually _want_  to work for her." The shifter grinned.

Of course. Sure, some monsters weren't so bad and didn't want to kill. But there were many that lived for it and would gladly follow some leader's orders, especially if it benefitted them in some way.

With that, the shifter let go of the leash, and a sequence of events happened in less than twenty seconds.

The Croats charged forward, snarling and lunging toward them. The demon Ruby had been fighting grabbed onto her leg, only to have Ruby kick her in the face. The demon fell backwards, right into one of the Croats. It bit at her, and the other two joined in.

The demon let out a howl of pain and shoved at the Croats, breaking free. Castiel approached the snarling beasts with the angel blade in hand, distracting them.

Before Dean could see any more, Sam was turning him around, dragging him back down the stairs.

He tried his best to keep up, but the rest of the group was far ahead, running toward one of the other meeting rooms. Carl was even ahead, having picked up Heather, carrying her in his arms. Shit, he was slowing his brother down. He was going to be the reason Sam got hurt...

Dean felt something tug on his shirt and in his weakened state, he began to collapse. Sam held him upright before he could fall and they turned around to see the female demon glaring at them both.

"Time to die, bitch," Ruby spoke up from behind them, stalking toward the demon with her knife in hand.

The demon opened her mouth, finally deciding that her revenge wasn't worth her getting killed, but where black smoke should have been coming out, nothing happened. She looked up in panic, closed her eyes and tried to concentrate and then began to scream.

"I can't get out! I can't teleport! What the hell is going on?"

Ruby paused, stopping near the brothers. "Shit, guys, do you see that? Her soul?"

Dean mustered up a little strength in order to tap into his powers to see the demon's black smoke cloud inside her host. It was flickering weakly...changing to a dull gray color...

"It's...fading?" Sam gasped.

By this time, the rest of the group had slowly walked over, eyeing the scene in front of them with interest.

The demon held out her hand, as if to use her powers. There was no result. "I can't...I can't do anything! I..." the demon gasped and fell to the floor. Dean watched the soul spark violently. It was...damaged is what it looked like. What the hell was going on?

The demon struggled and screamed, obviously in pain. Not even a minute later, it's soul started breaking apart, it let out one more spark and then seemed to disintegrate, completely vanishing.

"Did it just...did it just die?" Carl spoke up.

"Demons don't die unless they're stabbed with those knives or shot with the Colt," Ellen replied.

"Guys it..." Sam turned them both around to face the group. "It's soul...I could see it, it was destroyed. The demon is dead."

"What the hell would cause that?" Bobby asked.

While the group pondered, Dean tried to get his fuzzy brain to think back. Since he was practically useless right now, he had been able to really focus on what had happened in those twenty seconds...

"The bitch got bit by one of those things…more than once," Dean croaked. Everyone turned to look at him like they were surprised to see him functioning. He must look like death warmed over.

"But Dean, you've gotten bit a bunch of times. Nothing happened to you," Sam pointed out.

"Just throwing it out there. They have been mutating. Who knows if this isn't another one."

"The shifter was holding them, right? And it works for Eve?" Jo sounded scared. "Well Eve wanted to take over…what if she did this to kill off any demons?"

Well shit, that was pretty scary. And probably damn accurate. By the lack of response, everyone else was probably thinking the same thing.

The brief moment of silence was interrupted by the sound of someone rushing down the steps. Before they could even get their weapons ready, Castiel appeared, covered in blood.

"They have unleashed many more Croats. We have to try and get somewhere safe."

"We can only lock ourselves in the room while I try to teleport you all out and hope to hell they can't break in," Ruby said.

How hopeless was that?

As if reading Dean's thoughts, a demon suddenly appeared in the center of the room.

Crowley.

"Well," the demon smiled coyly. "It's a good thing you helped out the new king of Hell. I guess I can reward you."

Dean blinked and in that instant, he was out of the library and outside...he looked around to see everyone standing around him...and the hotel to the right.

Crowley was now the king of Hell, and with that promotion, came new abilities.

He had been able to teleport them all back to the hotel...back to safety.

With that knowledge that his brother was now out of danger, Dean let his consciousness drop and he collapsed onto his brother as his vision went black.

* * *

Crowley had promised to come back and "discuss" plans on how to take care of Eve as soon as he settled into his new role in Hell.

"I'm not a demon, I don't work for you," Sam told him, trying to support his brother who had finally passed out from the pain.

"But your brother is. And even he is wise enough to know not to turn his back on me because I can send out an order for all demons to keep their hands off of him."

"You really think all the demons are going to listen? You'll have rebels."

"Of course. But wouldn't it be worth it to have a small group after him rather than the entire demonic population?" At Sam's silence, Crowley smirked. "I rest my case. See you boys later."

With that, Sam didn't waste any more time getting his injured brother into the hotel. He ignored Sadie's gasp of horror at Dean's atrocious condition and questions from the survivors that came his way. Sam had tunnel vision as he walked towards the rooms that served as a hospital ward.

Sure, the med student was now dead, but they still had all their medical supplies there. Sam was sure he and Bobby could make due in trying to patch up Dean. It wasn't like Dean needed precise or professional help, he just needed to be stitched and wrapped up. His demonic powers would do the rest in healing him.

Even though Heather was also brought into the room, no one, not even the injured woman herself, complained when Sam and Bobby said they would help Dean first. Heather remained silent as they worked on Dean, but the way she looked at his brother...it was as if she viewed him as a hero.

Sam was just finishing helping Bobby wrap up Dean's stomach and back where the iron bar had pierced him when the older man spoke up.

"You know I never had any intention of leaving him," Bobby said, looking down at Dean's battered face sadly.

Sam remembered how Bobby had tried to talk Sam out of charging into the library early. "Bobby, it's okay, I get it..."

"No, Sam..." It almost sounded like Bobby choked up for a moment, running his hand through Dean's matted hair softly. "I never meant it in that way. I just didn't want us running blindly into danger and failing to save him because we didn't think it through."

"Bobby, he was being tortured, I couldn't sit around..."

"I know boy, I know. You immediately thought to run in there, stopping your brother's pain was the only thing on your mind. I just didn't want it to blind you from executing our rescue mission properly. But you were right, we didn't have any time to waste."

Sam studied the way that Bobby was looking at and touching Dean, like a father would. He knew the older hunter was telling the truth. He had never considered abandoning Dean, he was just thinking of the best way to rescue him.

Bobby loved Dean, the Dean that he was now, of this Sam was certain.

"Don't worry Bobby," Sam said softly, smiling at his friend. "I know you only had good intentions. I was just panicking and...I just wanted him back."

"Well..." Bobby reached up and put a rough hand on Sam's shoulder. "He's back and he's safe. He's gonna be alright."

"I know." Sam sighed. "I just wish he didn't have to go through any of that. He's been through way more than enough."

"That, I agree with kid. But there's nothin' we can do about that. What you can focus on though, is being there for him. Now, let's try and get that arm taken care of best we can."

The two hunters quickly realized that there wasn't much they could do for Dean's bad arm. Sam felt a burst of anger flow through him when he saw Alastair had snapped the humerus bone in two places. It wasn't like they could put a real cast on him and they ended up straightening out the bone best they could and tightly wrapping Dean's arm in gauze. Sam would put the damaged arm in the sling to avoid it jostling around once they got back to the suite.

Sam placed Dean in one of the wheelchairs they had lying around, too exhausted to carry Dean up without dropping him.

"You sure you don't need any help with him?" Bobby asked before Sam left the room.

"You've done more than enough Bobby, thank you."

"Alright, I'll try and help her." Bobby gestured over to where Heather lay in the other bed. "You let me know as soon as that boy wakes up and is feeling better. I wanna come see him, you hear?"

Sam grinned tiredly. "You've got my word."

He pushed Dean over to the elevators, glad that it was still too early for most people to be up. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now. The elevator ride seemed to take forever. Sam was eager to get Dean comfortable and back where he belonged.

Finally bringing Dean into his room, Sam placed his brother on his bed as gently as he possibly could. After some digging, he found Dean's sling thrown underneath his bed and placed Dean's injured arm in it. With nothing else serious to take care of, Sam found himself worrying about stupid little things. Should he cover Dean with blankets? But it was summer, what if he got too warm? Should he wake Dean up to let him know they were back and safe?

Sam settled with covering Dean in a thin blanket. He didn't need to worry about deciding to wake Dean up though, because his brother began to stir fitfully.

Dean's eyes blinked open and he gasped, trying to bolt upright but Sam held him down.

"Hey! Hey you're okay. We're back Dean, you're safe." Sam spoke loudly but calmly, trying to lock onto Dean's black eyed gaze. His brother's focus finally settled on Sam and he seemed to visibly relax, his body sagging back down onto the memory foam mattress.

Sam stood up, smiling softly at his brother. "Get some rest. Your body needs time to heal."

He turned around, stopping in his tracks when he heard the rough voice.

"Sammy."

It wasn't a question but instead almost sounded like a plea and Sam understood it for what it was. Dean didn't want to be alone but didn't want to admit it out loud. Sam felt his eyes watering as he turned around. He had no intention of leaving his brother's side.

"Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easily." He smiled at his brother who was staring at him as if in a daze. Dean was completely exhausted, yet staying awake to keep an eye on Sam. "I'm just going to use the bathroom."

Neither of them would be able to sleep tonight without being near the other.

Sam hurried in the bathroom. He desperately wanted to take a long warm shower, but that would mean more time away from his traumatized brother who needed him.

When he came back into the bedroom, Dean was facing his way, not even bothering to hide the fact that he needed to keep Sam in sight right now.

Sam turned off the lights and went around to the other side of the bed, getting under the covers. There was more than enough room for them to be comfortable and have their own space.

He looked over at his brother, seeing that Dean was doing the same while struggling to keep his eyes open. Reaching over, Sam placed a hand on Dean's good shoulder, easing the tension in his body.

"It's okay, I'll be right here when you wake up. Get some sleep buddy."

Dean's eyelids fluttered closed and Sam laid back and got comfortable. He let himself breathe a sigh of relief, trying to control his emotions after the draining day he had been through. There had been so many other outcomes that could have happened and he had almost been too late in rescuing his brother.

But Dean was here, right beside Sam and Alastair was dead. He had to take his own advice and allow himself to relax now too.

Just as Sam went to close his eyes, his brother spoke up, surprising him.

"G'night Sammy," Dean mumbled quietly, his eyes still closed but face titled in Sam's direction.

Of course Dean, even in his delirious state, had realized that something had been bothering Sam, and had tried to offer him some comfort.

It had been a while since Sam had heard what had once been Dean's daily  _goodnight's_ and he felt himself choking up. Who had Alastair thought he was in thinking he would be able to break Dean?

Dean never lost himself, even in Hell, because the main part of him, being a big brother, was never lost. As long as Dean was able to be a brother, he'd be okay.

"Goodnight Dean," Sam whispered back. He tried to set his mind at ease and hoped it wouldn't be long until sleep took him under.

* * *

Sam woke to the sound of someone knocking. He shot up in bed, trying to gather his surroundings. One look next to him at his sleeping brother and Sam remembered everything.

The knocking came again, a friendly tapping. Sam groaned, he didn't want any visitors right now. Glancing over at the bedside clock, he saw that it was already 2 in the afternoon.

Well, no wonder someone was stopping by, probably wanted to make sure they weren't dead.

Sam didn't let himself feel bad about sleeping in. They had gotten back so late last night, and it had been an exhausting trip, both physically and mentally. He slowly stood up, noticing that Dean only shifted slightly with a groan and turned his head. The pain his poor brother was in must be terrible if he wasn't reacting to the noise with his hunter instincts.

Sam left the bedroom and walked over to the main door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Sam," Bobby's gruff voice called from the other side. "I picked up some food downstairs for you boys."

Sam opened the door and offered Bobby a smile. The older man was holding two styrofoam containers full of food. "Thanks Bobby."

The hunter looked around the room, looking slightly disappointed. It was obvious to Sam that Bobby had been hoping to find Dean awake and be able to talk to him.

"He's still sleeping," Sam answered the man's silent question.

The tips of Bobby's ears reddened in embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah, I expected as much. Although I doubt he will be for much longer with that food you've got now."

"True." Sam chuckled. "You'll be the first to learn when he's finally out of bed."

Bobby left and Sam grabbed some of the silverware from the kitchen. He was making his way back to the bedroom when he heard it.

"Sammy?"

Dean's voice was hoarse and panicked. Sam found himself running back into the room, finding his brother attempting to sit upright and looking around in worry. Once he saw Sam standing there, his expression changed to his typical scowl.

It looked like Dean was back to himself, or at least feeling better.

"Right here." Sam smiled, knowing what kind of response he would get.

"I can see that," Dean grumbled.

Sam had never been happier to deal with Dean's grumpy attitude.

"You feeling better?" Sam asked.

"I feel like I got impaled in the stomach. Oh wait..."

"Very funny." Sam walked over to his brother and that's when Dean noticed what he was carrying.

"Food? What's in there? Pie?" Dean tried to scoot up in bed but ended up wincing and holding onto his slinged arm with his other hand.

"Here, let me help." Sam placed down the food and helped position Dean so he was sitting against the headboard. He ignored his brother's attempts to bat him away and fluffed up a pillow to place behind him for support.

"Thanks," Dean grumbled, barely audible and not looking Sam in the eye. He reached his good arm over towards the container. "I'm fucking starving."

"Yeah, I bet," Sam replied, his smile turning sad. When was the last time his brother had gotten any food? Or water for that matter? "I'll grab you some water, okay?"

Dean nodded his approval over a mouthful of what looked to be spaghetti. They had been running low on boxed pasta, according to Marcy and Sam understood that she probably made this especially for Dean.

Sam brought a glass of water for them both and Dean mumbled something at him, probably another 'thanks', while noodles fell from his mouth. Sam chuckled but his laughter died when he saw how quickly Dean drained the glass of water.

"You want another?" Sam was ready to get up, but Dean grabbed his arm.

"In a minute. Gotta make sure you're okay first."

Sam was confused. "I am fine Dean, I didn't even get tossed around or anything, used my powers most of the time."

Dean looked pleased that Sam hadn't sustained any injuries. "I was actually referring to your powers," he said. "When's the last time you had a blood drink? I doubt there are any left in the fridge."

Oh yeah, Sam had nearly forgotten about his daily drink when he had his brother to worry about. "I drank the last one before I left to rescue you. There were only a few in there and I tried to spread them out so they would last."

"Got a headache at all?" Dean asked, sounding better now that he had some water to soothe his throat.

Sam did notice a slight pounding in his head, but he had assumed it was just from the tension and exhaustion of last night. "Yeah, a little."

Dean held his good hand out, reaching toward Sam's glass of water. It floated slowly in front of him and Dean held out his uninjured arm.

"Care to help?" Dean smirked, his black eyes tired but teasing. "What little brother doesn't want to cause his big brother to bleed?"

Sam huffed, he dug through Dean's nightstand, making a face at the nude magazines he found there, and eventually discovered his pocketknife. Dean placed his arm over the glass and Sam winced, cutting Dean as gently as possible.

Dean rolled his eyes at the tiny cut and pushed his arm into the small knife, causing the wound to deepen enough for the blood to start dripping in.

Sam had to force himself to pace his drinking after taking the first sip. He instantly felt more alert and energized and realized the effect not drinking regularly had on him.

But he had managed without it and Sam knew that if he ever did want or need to stop drinking the blood, he could without having any terrible side effects. Dean had stressed the fact that he was giving Sam blood in a way for him not to become addicted, and he had been right. It was more like wanting your daily cup of coffee.

He never would stop drinking it though. Not only because it protected him from Croatoan, but because using these powers could help his brother, like they had yesterday during the rescue. He also never wanted to get rid of their telepathy and the dream sharing.

"Better?" Dean smirked.

"Shut up," Sam shot back, his smile falling when he noticed Dean wince and hold onto his arm. "He really broke it bad, didn't he?" he asked quietly even though he knew.

Dean shrugged. "Snapped it in a couple places and apparently it's not going to heal like I normally do, so I'll just have to deal."

Sam took in his brother's stiff posture that he knew had nothing to do with the pain Dean was in. He was tense and wouldn't look Sam in the eye, making it clear to the younger brother that there was a lot on his mind.

Dean needed to talk to Sam, needed to free whatever troubling thoughts were going on in his head. It was going to be much, much easier said than done. Dean loved to make the simplest things extremely difficult.

"What else did he do?" Sam went with asking Dean straight up, making it obvious that he wanted his brother to talk, and that he had someone that was eager to help and listen.

As expected, Dean instantly tensed up even more. "I don't want to talk about it right now Sam. I'm tired." He slumped down on the bed until he was lying down once more, turning away from Sam.

Of course.

"Dean, come on..."

"You told me to rest Sammy. Now let me do that."

Dean did fall back asleep, waking up throughout the rest of the day and the evening every now and then. Every time Sam tried to ask him if he was up to talking, Dean quickly shot him down.

"After all I just went through the last thing I want to do is start gushing about it," Dean spat at Sam after he woke up for the third time. Sam tried not to take it personally. Dean was hurting and confused, and maybe he just needed a little more time.

The clock read 10 at night, so Sam decided to call it a night and deal with Dean tomorrow. His brother would have no excuse after having a whole night's sleep.

"Seriously Sam, don't sit here, go down there and talk to people, go have fun," Dean said when Sam set up a DVD and sat next to Dean in the bed.

"After all  _I_ went through, the last thing I want to do is leave my brother's side," Sam shot right back at Dean, who's face reddened as he turned away.

"Fine," Dean pouted. "Then turn up the volume, I can't hear shit."

Dean fell asleep fifteen minutes into the movie, his head fallen onto his brother's shoulder. There was no way that Dean could literally be this exhausted and need this much sleep. Even after all he suffered through, Dean was a demon, he should be able to bounce back. Sam was convinced it was just a coping mechanism to avoid talking about what had happened.

Or maybe Dean really was that tired. It wasn't like Sam was any expert at demon biology and maybe his brothers body really did need more time to recover after what Alastair put him through.

But Sam didn't know what Alastair actually did do, because Dean refused to talk. If Dean just would open up a little bit, Sam would know how to help him.

Dean had survived Alastair's emotional tortures while he was captured, Sam just hoped he'd be able to continue to do so now that he was free.

* * *

Dean woke up to the sound of running water. He cracked open his eyes and turned his head toward the direction of the noise. It was coming from the bathroom, Sam was probably taking a shower.

But then the water turned off, and Dean could hear his brother walking out of the bathroom. He quickly closed his eyes. Maybe if he focused hard enough, he could get himself to fall asleep again.

He doubted it. He wasn't tired, not at all. It had been easier to get himself to fall asleep last night when it was dark, but now the sun was shining through the windows, a warm summer breeze brushing past his face. The urge to get up and do something productive, to go enjoy the amazing weather, was getting harder and harder to fight. He ached and his arm throbbed, but he was completely alert.

But getting up would mean Sam would 'want to talk' first. Dean just wanted to forget about the whole ordeal with Alastair. The things the demon had mocked him about still echoed through his head, taunting him. If he talked about it with Sam, it would just push those thoughts even more to the front of his mind and make it that much worse, wouldn't it?

"Good you're awake," Sam spoke and Dean internally groaned. How much longer was he going to be able to push away his brother before Sam got fed up and gave up on him?

"Tired," Dean mumbled, trying to make his voice as pathetic sounding as he could.

"Don't give me that bullshit Dean. You've been sleeping for nearly 24 hours off and on. You're a demon for goodness sakes. And you know what else? You stink. I already got the jacuzzi ready for you so get a move on."

"Bossy little bitch," Dean muttered, pushing himself up with his good arm. The sneaky bastard knew that Dean  _hated_ body odor. He was always one for good personal hygiene, rather he be human or demon, the end of civilization or not.

Sam was one step ahead of him. Dean had taught him well.

Standing up slowly, Dean grunted when the pain in his arm flared up. Sam was next to him instantly.

"Here, let me help."

"I'm not letting you undress me Sam!"

"I'll just help you get out of your shirt, you jerk."

Dean ended up being grateful for his brother's help, although he'd never admit it. With the pain and stiffness, there was no way he'd have been able to remove his arm from the sling and then pull his shirt over his head. He took a much needed bath in the jacuzzi, staying in there for over an hour before Sam started pounding on the door.

"You're going to turn into a prune!"

Dean rolled his eyes, knowing that Sam understood he was staying in here to avoid talking to him. He reluctantly got out and put some pants on, grabbing his shirt and going back into the bedroom, he threw the piece of clothing at Sam.

"Glad to know I'm appreciated," Sam muttered, helping Dean back into his shirt and placing his arm gently back into the sling.

Wanting some fresh air, but not wanting to interact with anyone, Dean started walking over to the balcony attached to his bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked, beginning to follow him.

"Gonna sit outside in the sun."

"Dean, we really do need to talk…,"

Without even meaning to, Dean spun around, glaring at Sam. "Don't you get it? I don't want to talk to you!"

Dean immediately regretted it when he saw the heartbroken expression on his brother's face. It didn't last long however, replaced by anger. "This is the same shit that got us into this mess in the first place!" Sam yelled, matching Dean's tone. "Not communicating with each other! I can't have that happen again, I can't lose you!"

Dean was taken aback by the amount of desperation in his little brother's voice. He locked eyes with Sam and saw that his vision was swimming with unshed tears. Swallowing, Dean noticed that he was getting choked up himself. Damn it, was he really that weak of a demon? Just like Alastair had said…

Dean felt that final wall that he had been building up falling apart. It was like a break in a dam…

"Sammy…," he choked out, feeling hatred and embarrassment toward himself over being so pathetic. He clenched his good hand in his wet hair, pulling at it in frustration.

"Dean, hey…" Sam's soft voice called out to him and Dean suddenly felt gentle but giant hands cupping his face. "It's okay. Just talk to me. Whatever's hurting you, you're not going to have to go through it alone, okay?"

"That's the problem!" Dean growled. "I shouldn't be hurting! What kind of demon goes through all these emotional problems? I'm weak!"

"Dean Winchester does. You have feelings Dean and that's good, that's freaking amazing. That's a far, far cry from being weak." Sam moved his hand to Dean's back and started pushing him to the balcony door. "Come on, let's sit outside."

Once he was outside, Dean sat down on the edge of one of the lounge chairs and let the sun and breeze calm him. He could hear birds happily chirping as they flew overhead and the kids laughing while they played in the pool. It was peaceful and he felt himself enjoying it. What other demon would take peace and happiness over chaos and murder? Not that those things weren't fun but…Dean appreciated things that other demons wouldn't. There were benefits to having feelings, he tried to remind himself.

"What did he tell you?" Sam asked, sitting down on the long chair next to Dean.

"That I'm amazing and didn't deserve anything he did to me," Dean chuckled. Did Sam honestly think he would spill everything that was said to him? All the manipulative taunting and mocking Alastair put him through?

"Well, that is true, just so you know." Sam smiled sadly at his comment and then sighed. "I know it wasn't all physical torture."

Dean shook his head. "That's the thing Sammy, he didn't start with the physical crap until the end. And I can handle that no problem. It was the messing with my head…I shouldn't have let it get to me like I did…"

"You were in a bad place when he took you, of course it was going to affect you. I mean, even before the journal, you seemed really on edge."

"I was in a bad place because of you!"

Sam looked taken aback. "Dean…," he started, sounding incredibly hurt and confused. Shit, he had to hurry before Sam got the wrong idea.

"That sounded bad. I mean…I was in a bad mood because  _you_  were in a bad mood."

Sam cocked his head to the side, still looking a bit offended. "When was I in a bad mood?"

"All the time! And I'm not saying this to be an ass Sammy. You were just always…sad and thinking all these depressing thoughts and I was getting pissed because I couldn't help you. I felt like I wasn't enough for you to be happy."

Dean watched as Sam's mouth dropped open. "Dean…no. Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"And how was I supposed to bring it up? If I told you to stop being depressed, do you know how shitty that would sound, even from me? I can't force you to feel a certain way. I only hoped you would eventually snap out of it."

"I should have realized," Sam said quietly. "Everything you do is for me…of course your emotions are tied to mine." He looked up, staring Dean down. "You know that's not true. You know that having you as a brother makes me happy. I'm just…moody."

"Hell, I'm moody too. You know that. I just…I can't stand seeing you like that Sam. It's my job to make sure you're safe and happy and if I can't help you…."

"You do help me Dean. Having you around is more than I deserve and I don't need anything else. I just….got stuck in the way things used to be. But they're materialistic things. And…I can't save everyone. I can't change the past and it's not my fault they died. I get that now. I'm…I just need you to stick around, okay? No more getting captured by psycho demons."

Dean couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I don't think we'll have to worry about that for a while. " He took in Sam's words, the sincere look on his face. He remembered their dream world and how Sam had clung to him and wasn't disgusted by his true form. And just recently, Sam refused to leave his side after he'd been injured and they were reunited.

Sam smiled back. "Just let me know what you're feeling, ask me straight out if you're confused. And I'll do a better job with the same thing. I'll talk to you instead of moping around and keeping it to myself. "

Dean really did need to give Sam more credit.

"I'll take your word for it Sammy." Dean stood up, walking over to the balcony and looking down at the kids playing and the adults who were doing anything from kicking a soccer ball around, to practicing knife throwing. He looked at Sam and gestured to the people down below, remembering what Alastair had said about Dean never belonging anywhere but Hell. "Just tell me this...how the hell am I ever going to fit in with that?"

Sam joined his brother, giving him a quizzical look. "Dean...those are your friends."

Dean scoffed, letting out a sharp laugh. "Sam, the only friend I have is you. Maybe Bobby."

" _Definitely_  Bobby, Dean. And you know Marcy loves you, as well as Aiden. Carl practically worships you after you saved him, and Jo always liked you. Ellen isn't afraid of you anymore and everyone else...Dean...can't you see it? They like you."

"Yeah, that's why no one interacts with me."

"They try Dean! They give up because you act like a cocky asshole!"

"I'm a demon!" Dean glared at his brother, outraged.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! People try to talk to you and get closer to you, and you start acting all smug, reminding them that you're a demon. They're trying to treat you equally...but when you keep telling them what you are, they start to wonder if it's a warning."

"But I AM a demon!"

"Yes, and they all know that. You don't need to keep shoving it in their faces because then, I think they start to believe there's a reason why you're doing that. It's almost as if you're telling them to treat you differently."

Huh. Dean went to protest but he found that he didn't have any counter argument. Sam had a very valid point, and he was probably right. Dean kept insisting to these people that he was different, yet when he kept yelling the 'I'm a demon' card in their faces...it was as if he was saying he wasn't just like the rest of them.

"Just open up a bit Dean," Sam continued. "Let them see  _Dean_  and not just the demon. The glimpses of your personality that they see, they like. I'm not saying you have to stop being a grump or an annoying jerk because hey...that's who you are..." Sam laughed when Dean swatted at him. "Just...don't be so closed off, relax a bit and don't think everyone is out to get you."

Dean nodded once, looking back toward the humans that congregated below. "Okay."

"Okay? That's it?"

"Dude, aren't you happy I'm not arguing with you?"

"I just...it's not like you, is all."

"Well, I'm just listening to what you said. Trying to communicate better and trust in what you tell me." Dean shrugged his good shoulder. "I don't want what happened before to happen again."

Sam full out grinned, dimples and all. It was a pretty amazing, yet dorky, sight. "It won't, not if we continue to do what we're doing. I just want to know...and please be honest with me Dean...I want to know if you're happy here. Or if you'd be happy leaving here with me."

"Sam I..."

"And don't say what you think is best for me, or what I want to hear. I want to know what you want. I haven't been taking your feelings into consideration lately, and that's not right."

"Shut up you stupid ass, I like it here," Dean said, shocking himself when he realized it was true.

He used to hate being around a bunch of people, wanted him and Sam to always be on their own. The thought of communicating with anyone other than his brother would make him feel uncomfortable.

It still did a bit...and that feeling probably wouldn't ever go away. But Dean felt himself actually liking the thought of having a group of people that knew what he was and supported him. He didn't have to pretend to be anything or anyone else, and he had Sam by his side to top it all off.

"I don't want to leave." Dean told his brother honestly.

"Really?" Sam asked, sounding surprised and hopeful at the same time.

"I mean come on, who would say no to having Marcy's cooking and memory foam mattresses every day?" Dean smirked. Cheesy conversations like this still didn't sit well with him, but he found he could suffer through them a tiny bit...but not for long.

Sam shook his head fondly. "Don't forget your precious jacuzzi."

"Damn, how could I have forgotten that!" Dean shook his head in self-disappointment.

Sam sighed happily. "I'm glad you're back."

Luckily, before Dean had to deal with Sam's chick-click moment, one of the kids caught his eye from the pool.

"DEAN! You're back! Come down and play!"

It was Aiden, of course.

A chorus of  _Dean!_ s filled the air, as well as mentions of the kids missing him and asking if he felt better. Heh, it was actually a little cute, in a disgusting sort of way.

"Keep it down, you brats!" Dean shouted. He noticed how the adults were looking up at him too, shaking their heads and laughing. Some of them called for him to come down as well.

"Well..." Sam chuckled. "Looks like you've got no choice, want to go outside? Don't worry, I'll protect you from being trampled by the kids."

Dean wanted to...or a part of him did...but the thought also exhausted him...and made him a bit nervous.

"I...Sam...not yet..."

Sam seemed to understand, although he looked a bit upset. "It's okay, we'll stay and watch movies until you're ready."

"No. You get down there. Go have fun, Sammy. I know you don't want to be cooped up in this room with an annoying injured demon."

Sam shook his head. "I'm not leaving you."

"Dude, I'm fine. I'm safe. I'm just going to be sleeping anyway, go out there and let everyone know I'm fine before they break down our door to check on us."

Sam sighed and Dean felt bad for not joining his brother but...he just couldn't...not right now...he needed time to process everything that Sam had told him. It left him feeling exhausted.

But he did feel better. There was just one more thing nagging him...worrying him.. But Sam wasn't bringing it up like Dean expected, so he kept it to himself.

Sam still didn't move, so Dean reached out with his powers, and shoved Sam toward the room. "Get moving before I decide to fling you off this balcony!"

Sam laughed, but it sounded half-hearted.

As soon as his brother reluctantly left, Dean allowed his mind to wander.

What if his psycho freak out on Alastair's body was a sign? What if it was exactly what the white-eyed demon had wanted, and it would only be a matter of time before he lost it for good?

And after the group seeing him like that, would they honestly be able to trust him? Had he ruined any progress he had made in those relationships?

It sucked that his good mood could only last so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought if you have the time.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and reviewing. It was nice to hear your thoughts on the last chapter. I hope everyone had a nice weekend and for those in the US, I hope your Memorial Day was fun.

Sam didn't like that his brother had refused to join him outside, but what was he to do? Reaching the door that would lead into the fenced-off yard, he silently prayed that he wouldn't be bombarded by a million questions about Dean's whereabouts.

Instantly, Sam was greeted by both the harsh sunlight and a mini-stampede of kids that ran over to him, hugging his long legs.

"Sam you're okay!"

"Where's Dean?"

"Did you kill a lot of demons like Dean taught you?"

Sam scoffed at the last comment. When Dean had been teaching the kids, did he tell them that he taught Sam as well when he was around their age? Of course, in order to feel comfortable in the unfamiliar setting of the classroom, Dean probably brought Sam up any chance he could.

"Yeah we killed the demons that took Dean." Sam spoke loud enough for adults that were in the area to hear. "He's okay, he's still resting in the room."

"Why can't he rest out here? It's nice out." It was Aiden that spoke, looking up at Sam with big, sad eyes. "I missed you guys. I want to see Dean."

Aiden was on the verge of tears, already sniffling. Sam started to panic, he didn't need the kid breaking down and causing a chain reaction with the other children.

"I'm sure Dean will come out soon!" Marcy piped up, swooping in from where she had been standing by the pool. She grabbed Aiden's hand and started directing him back to the water. "He'll want to see you too, but Dean was hurt very badly and needs to relax."

Another kid, a girl about Aiden's age, began to cry as well. "Why did they hurt him? He's a nice demon. Is he going to die?"

All the kids started murmuring and gasping. Marcy looked frazzled. "No! Dean's not going to die. He will be okay! The bad demons wanted to hurt him because he's nice. Remember the Superman comic I read you guys?"

"Ye…yeah!" Aiden shouted. "The evil guys wanted to kill Superman because he was a hero and saved people! Like Dean, he's a hero too because he helped save us!"

Now it was Sam's turn to get a little misty eyed. He turned away from the kids, feeling grateful that they saw everything Dean did for them and viewed those actions as him being a hero. Sam had always seen him as such since he was a kid, and Dean turning into a demon hadn't changed that. In fact it only made that belief stronger in Sam's mind. If Dean could still be good as a demon, protecting his brother, trying to stop the apocalypse, and willing to (even if reluctantly) help people out, what could be more heroic than that?

If only Dean could see himself in the same light that Sam, and now others, were viewing him in, then maybe he wouldn't second guess himself so much.

"Sam…," Bobby started walking over to him and the younger Winchester inwardly sighed. He knew how badly Bobby wanted to see Dean and he would be heartbroken that Dean had decided against it and chose to be cooped up in the hotel room. "Your brother really decided to spend the day in that room instead of out here in the sun?"

Sam shrugged. "I tried to get him to come out, but he said he wasn't ready."

Bobby cocked an eyebrow. "How is he? And be honest."

"He's better," Sam told their friend honestly. "We talked. I think it helped a bit. He seemed to open up and we both admitted our mistakes and are going to do better communicating…"

"There's a 'but' coming, isn't there?"

"I…I think there's still something bothering him. Something he's keeping in. It's probably the reason why he feels he's not ready to come down here yet."

"He knows we'd give him his space, don't he? We'd keep the kids from jumpin' on him. He could still relax, if that's what he's worried about.

"No…" Sam shook his head. "I don't think that's what's bothering him. It's…."

"He's worrying about something related to himself," Bobby finished Sam's thought for him.

"Yeah. I think so. He didn't directly tell me what Alastair said to him, but the worries he expressed to me gave me a good idea. Do you think he's worried that people wouldn't feel safe around him?"

"I'd say 'why the hell would he think that', but this is your brother we're talking about. Everyone here knows that Dean didn't get captured for doing something bad. They know it was the demons that did it because he's not like them. But Dean…ever since I knew the kid, he was always so down on himself. Always seemed to be something on his mind and felt he wasn't good enough."

Sam frowned. "I know what you mean. I guess…I guess I didn't see it for the longest while, because I viewed Dean as someone who had everything under control…."

"He's your role model, you looked at him like a parent in some ways, there's nothing wrong with thinking that way Sam. But I'm glad you can see him on a deeper level now and accept it…even if it's not pretty."

"I wish there was something I could do to help. I just don't know Bobby. I want to help my brother so badly."

Bobby put a hand on his shoulder. "You just said you talked to him, that's exactly the right thing to do. You're doing all you can Sam. You can't expect him to get rid of all his self-loathing right away, can you? But you said he's doing a little better, and that's a step in the right direction."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Just keep being there for him boy, that's the best you can do and it's exactly what Dean needs. Your support means everything to him, you know that." Bobby smiled, although he looked a little sad. "But I do think it's time he gets his ass out here. I'll make a trip to our floor and physically pull the stubborn idjit out here."

Sam smirked. "He's a demon. He'd push you away with his powers."

"I don't give a flying shit. I'd keep bangin' on the door until he gets so irritated that he'll have to come with me."

It felt good to genuinely laugh, even if it was at Dean's expense. Sam just hoped it wouldn't come to what Bobby was suggesting and Dean would decide to willingly join them.

"I'll give him an hour before I decide to drag his ass down here," Bobby continued. "For now, how about you relax yourself?

* * *

Dean wasn't sure why the hell he was doing this. Part of him really wanted to turn back and go back to sleep in his bed. But the sounds from the open window were tempting. People laughing, kids playing...everyone enjoying themselves while Dean was hunched in the suite.

He told himself he was only heading outside because of Sam. His brother had put on those stupid puppy dog eyes when Dean had told him he wasn't going to join him. The last thing he needed was for Sam to mope around because of him.

Dean just got off the elevator, taken by surprise when he ran right into someone, pain flared up his broken arm at the impact.

"Watch where you're going," Dean mumbled, going to sidestep the person only to get hit in the head.

"And  _you_  better watch your tone with me boy." It was Bobby.

Dean didn't have it in him to be embarrassed. "Oh, makes sense that it was you. At your age, your eyesight's gotta be going. I'll give you a pass this time, but if you run into me again..."

"You'll tear me apart? Set me on fire?" Bobby smirked.

"Well I was just gonna say I'd steal your shit from your room but that stuff sounds fun too."

Bobby shook his head fondly. "Yeah, sure it does. Listen, I was just looking for you. Was gonna force you to get out of that room and join the land of the living."

"Well, technically I'm undead so..."

"Not to me you ain't. Be serious for a minute."

"Okay, okay." Dean put his hand up in surrender. "Don't worry, you didn't have to get me. I was just coming down."

"Really? Well good." Bobby stared at him for a minute, causing Dean to squirm from the awkwardness of the situation.

"Uhh..Bobby..."

Before Dean could say anything else, Bobby reached over and wrapped him in a hug. His bad arm protested the uncomfortable action, but Dean didn't say anything, too curious to know the reason behind Bobby's actions.

"Damn, I thought for a little that I may not ever get to see you again," Bobby said gruffly, his voice choking up. "I'm so glad we got ya back."

Dean decided to hug Bobby back with his good arm. The man  _did_  help rescue him, so this would be his gift. Dean was so thoughtful.

Bobby patted his back a few times and squeezed Dean's uninjured shoulder. When he pulled away there were tears in his eyes. Dean was proud of himself when didn't even make a joke about it.

"You doin' okay boy?" Bobby asked, adjusting his cap awkwardly. At least Dean wasn't the only one uncomfortable with chick-flick moments.

"I was, until you squeezed me right where I got stabbed through the stomach."

Bobby didn't role his eyes like Dean expected, instead, he looked concerned. "Shit, I didn't hurt ya' did I?"

Dean huffed. "I'm a..." He paused, remembering Sam's advice to stop declaring he was a demon every time he wanted to make a point. "I'm fine. My stomach is mostly healed and my arm...well it's probably gonna heal like a human's would, but when it does, it won't be any worse off than it was before."

Bobby nodded. "Good, good. Now Dean...I was talking to your brother..."

"Oh god." Dean did not want to hear what his brother was worrying about now and he certainly didn't want to have another heart-to-heart talk with anyone. "I don't have time for this. I want some coffee." He started heading over to the small Starbucks room.

"Well you can make your coffee and talk to me." Bobby started following him. Of course he wasn't giving up, just great.

"Fine, knock yourself out," Dean grunted, trying not to pay Bobby any attention.

"You trying to avoid the topic just proves to me your brother is right," Bobby said while Dean was trying to grind the coffee beans.

"And what the hell did he tell you? That I'm an unstable lunatic that almost snapped and he's afraid I'm gonna go off the rail?" Dean hissed. Fearing the worst, he slammed down the bag of beans, causing some to scatter across the floor.

Bobby looked absolutely baffled. "The hell Dean? Sam just thought you were keeping something from him, something you were worried about. Is that it? You're worried Sam thinks you're gonna go darkside or something?"

"Yeah, well don't you?"

"Dean..." Bobby's expression was sad and Dean scowled in response. "Why the hell would I think that?"

Dean turned away, focusing on making his cup of coffee. This wasn't something he wanted to discuss and he already unintentionally told Bobby too much.

Bobby kept right on talking. "Really Dean? After these past two years...you think Sam's gonna suddenly change his mind and not believe in you anymore? And I know I was hard on you at first boy but you gotta know..."

"It's not because of that!" Dean couldn't hold it in any longer. "You saw how I got when I was beating up on Alastair. The bastard wasn't even alive and I couldn't stop stabbing him! I had to have Sam talk me down. What if Alastair is right and I will snap for good one day...what if it's only a matter of time before I hurt my brother?"

Bobby actually started laughing. What the hell? Dean couldn't help but be pissed, feeling his mood darken. "Really Bobby? Glad to know that amuses you."

"Dean...Dean..." Bobby reached out but Dean flinched away from him. "Come on, you gotta admit that's ridiculous! You were pissed off boy! That bastard tortured you for decades. He captured you and tried to use you. Of course you'd want to let some aggression out, anyone would!"

"I couldn't stop though. I didn't want to."

"But you did. And it was just a body Dean. You weren't hurting anyone. You didn't lunge at any of us when we walked in. Your focus was Alastair. When I...trust me...after my wife...when she got killed by demons, I was out of control. Those first few hunts I went on...it wasn't pretty."

This captured Dean's interest. "You spazzed out too?"

"Spazz isn't even the right term for it. It didn't matter that the things I were hunting weren't demons...to me any supernatural creature was the same. I'd tear them apart until there wasn't a body to recognize any more. In my mind, they were all responsible for her death."

Dean let those words soak in for a moment. Bobby definitely wasn't on the verge of going crazy and he had those same feelings as well. Maybe it was somewhat natural...

"After what he made me watch in Hell...," Dean said quietly, "...making the victim look just like Sammy...and then the threats he made toward him..."

"You don't need to justify your actions Dean. I get it. And just so you know...Sam understands. I just know he does. If it was an issue with him, he would have brought it up." Bobby reached out a hand and this time Dean allowed it to land on his shoulder. "And your brother...well, he would have reacted the same exact way. If you weren't bleeding on the floor when we fought Lilith...I bet you I'd have to restrain him from attacking her body."

Dean wasn't sure if that was true, but he did want to believe it. He turned back his attention to making his coffee, not wanting to think of the situation any longer. Too many of these feelings made him tense and anxious.

"No one else is thinking what you're thinking," Bobby told him. "They may have been a bit worried for you, Sam included, but they understood completely. No one's afraid of you Dean."

Dean finished with his coffee, putting a lid on his cup. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see."

* * *

"Well, look who finally decided to join us!" Carl called out, causing Sam to turn around in hope.

Sure enough, Dean was hesitantly walking out of the hotel, coffee in hand and Bobby right behind him. He looked like a deer in headlights as everyone stared at him and began talking.

Sam hurried over to his brother, wanting to try and make him feel comfortable before he got too nervous and retreated back into the hotel.

"Hey." Sam smiled. "Bobby convinced you to come out, huh?"

"Nope, this idjit actually was heading outside on his own and I ran into him, believe it or not," Bobby informed him.

Dean was looking around wildly, black eyes flickering toward the pool where the kids were calling out to him and the picnic tables where the adults were eating and gesturing for him to join them.

"Come on." Sam put a hand on Dean's back. "Let's grab a plate to eat." He already ate, but he would have a little more just to eat with his brother. He was thrilled that Dean had decided to join them, and all on his own! But he was afraid one thing might set back this process, and sticking by Dean's side may help him relax. Sam didn't mind, he actually preferred it.

"No pie." Dean grunted, staring down at the food lying out on the picnic table.

"Well you know what today is right?" Sam questioned his brother only for the older Winchester to give him a look of confusion. "It's the fourth of July. Tonight we're going to celebrate and Marcy's going to try and bake a few pies." They didn't have very much left in terms of dessert ingredients, but they were to be used on special occasions as a treat for everyone.

"There's no more America, what's the point?"

Sam shrugged, not letting the statement depress him like it usually would. "For tradition's sake. It will be fun. There's even boxes of sparklers that people had found sitting in storage."

Dean's face lit up a bit on that note. He always had liked fireworks and while they couldn't light up the big ones in fear of any enemies or Croats hearing or seeing them, the sparklers would be a small alternative.

Carl walked over soon after the brothers made their plates and sat down. "Am I allowed to bother you now?" he chuckled. At Dean's raised eyebrow, he continued. "Sam told us to give you some space because he knew you'd be anxious. It's good to have you back man." He patted Dean on the back hard, causing him to choke on his food.

"Yeah and you're already trying to kill me." Dean coughed.

Carl grinned at Dean's comment. "Yep, things will be back to normal around here in no time."

A few people approached them while they were eating. Marcy gave Dean a huge hug and a kiss on the forehead, which he did not enjoy in the slightest. Jo and Ellen greeted him and a few kids enthusiastically told him 'hello'.

Sadie came over once Dean finished scarfing down his meal. She was grinning and sat down next to him, placing an arm around his shoulder, squeezing. "I'm so glad you're okay. When I went out looking with Sam, I thought the worst and then I felt so helpless sitting here while they went to the library..."

"Well that's 'cause you're weak," Dean told her.

The girl her arm away so she could fold them against her chest. She stared the demon down without saying a word.

"You  _are_ ," Dean stressed. "Youd've gotten killed in there. Gotta learn to shoot a gun properly for starters."

"Well, then you can teach me."

Dean looked surprised for a second, before shrugging his good shoulder. "Fine. You may as well learn from the best."

Sam noticed how Dean seemed to become less and less tense as the hour went on. When he looked around, he didn't seem like he wanted to flee any longer and was instead just taking in his surroundings. He even laughed a few times at something Sam wasn't paying attention to.

It was such a relief to see and Sam felt like he couldn't be happier.

"Fucking hot out here," Dean grumbled, wiping his brow.

"It's July Dean, what do you expect?"

"Oh yeah, nice shorts, by the way." Dean snickered at Sam's choice of clothes. "These poor people have to suffer through seeing your hairy Sasquatch legs."

"Well at least I'm not sitting in a puddle of sweat like you."

"Good point." Dean stood up gingerly, looking over at the pond in longing.

"You're not going swimming, it will just irritate your arm more and I'm not going to re-wrap it." Sam glanced over to the pool. "Here, why don't you sit in the pool on one of the steps, it will cool you off as long as your stomach is healed enough."

"Whatever," Dean mumbled, but still went over to the pool, looking quickly behind him to see if Sam was following. It made the younger brother's heart hurt to know that Dean felt he'd be too awkward without Sam around.

They got into the pool, Dean shrugging down his pants and glowering at Sam whenever he offered to help. Once he was in his boxers, Sam helped him take his shirt off and he did the same.

"Keep that sling out of the water," Sam ordered when Dean plopped down on the step. He sat down next to his brother and was immediately splashed in the face.

"Dean…"

"You can't splash me, it might get my sling wet." Dean grinned.

Sam shook his head in annoyance but decided against saying anything else. They relaxed for a bit, most of the kids had left the pool to kick around the soccer ball and Sam found himself almost dozing off as he leaned against the pool wall.

He wasn't sure how it could get more relaxing than this. Sam really did need to stop moping about the past and worrying about the people he couldn't save. This...right here...a group of people they could trust, who accepted them both...and having Dean by his side, happy and mostly healthy...it couldn't get much better.

"De...Dean?"

Sam opened his eyes when he heard his brother's name being called by the familiar small voice.

"What Aiden?" Dean grumbled, sounding half asleep.

The young boy was standing on the side of the pool, turned so he was facing Dean. He looked a bit anxious. "You're...you're not gonna die are you?" the boy blurted out quickly. "They said you wouldn't but you look hurt an' I'm scared..."

Sam tried not to laugh when Dean gave a full body sigh.

"No Aiden. If I was gonna die, it would have been when I was captured."

"Is your arm gonna get better?"

"Eventually yeah. Now go play in the mud or whatever it is you do."

Instead, Aiden walked closer to Dean and knelt down near the edge of the pool. He reached over and hugged the demon by the neck. "I wish I coulda stopped the bad guy that hurt you."

Dean gave Sam an annoyed glance, but it rang false. He knew his brother well enough to know that Dean was putting on an act to hide the fact that even he was a tiny bit touched by those words.

"Already killed him, kid." He paused for a few moments. "And I can give you a few more shooting lessons. Maybe you'll suck a little less and be able to hit a really slow moving deer or something."

"Hey!" Aiden let go of Dean and put his hands on his hips. "I don't want to hurt animals! And I hit the target last time I practiced!"

"True, but you just got lucky. Your aim is shit but at least you got good posture," Dean said casually as if swearing in a conversation with a seven year old was normal. "I have to teach Sadie too and who knows, you could be better than her."

"Thanks Dean!" Aiden grinned. "I'll be the best shooter ever! I'll shoot any bad guys that try to take you away, you'll see!" The boy happily ran back to join his friends.

"Looks like you should just start taking over all teaching duties." Sam chuckled.

"Shut your mouth. You're a somewhat decent aim, you can help."

"Maybe I can make a guest appearance now and then." Sam was happy Dean seemed to be feeling okay around everyone, but he needed to be sure. May as well get this over with. "Dean...I know there was something that was still bothering you..."

"Bobby already talked to me about it Sam," Dean said shortly.

"I figured...but Dean, you gotta let me know too, alright? We said we'd be open with each other..."

"I really don't want to have this discussion again."

"It's okay, we don't have to get into a big conversation. I just want you to be able to confide in me like I know I can with you."

Dean took a deep breath. "I'm okay now."

He knew he was testing his brother's patience, but Sam had to try. Maybe if he kept going, Dean would see how important he was to Sam. "That's great, really, it is. But I want to know what it was so I can maybe help too and make sure it doesn't happen again."

The older Winchester turned away, shrugging and stared into the distance toward the pond. "I thought you'd be freaked out when I was stabbing Alastair like a lunatic."

Sam swallowed, feeling for his brother. Dean did end up letting him in. This is what had been on his mind? Dean couldn't seriously think his actions had been wrong. But then again, to Dean, it didn't matter what he believed, only what Sam did. "Dean the bastard deserved all that and more. He tortured you for decades and was trying to break you!"

"Yeah, well I'm not that selfish Sam. It wasn't just because of what he did to me that I reacted like I did."

Sam paused, knowing exactly what Dean was talking about. "I…I know what happened in Hell Dean…or I think I do…why you freaked out when you heard those girls got raped…it was me, wasn't it?"

Dean turned so fast to look at his brother that Sam was certain he would have gotten whiplash if he were human. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"Well, it wasn't that hard. You told me you weren't upset because it happened to you…and Bobby told me the only thing that could cause so much emotion from you…is me."

Dean seemed flustered when he spoke. "So Bobby knows too?"

"We weren't gossiping about you. I was worried after that trip we took and was telling Bobby that I wish I knew what was wrong. Then we kind of pieced it together. I can't…I can't imagine Dean….if I had to see something that looked like you…." Sam swallowed, he wanted to look away but he steadied his head and stared his brother in the eyes. "I would have reacted the same exact way when you stabbed him, maybe worse."

Dean nodded, turning his head to look straight ahead. "I never said thanks, for saving me. So yeah, thank you."

Sam took Dean's words, and his lack of arguing as a sign that he actually believed what he was being told. He also still seemed relaxed, if a bit embarrassed. If Dean were still convinced that his actions were worrisome, he would have been more tense and irritated. It was a relief to see that Dean may start to believe in himself.

"I told you that you never have to thank me." Sam smiled and leaned back in the pool, ignoring his brother when he splashed him. For once he felt completely at ease.

* * *

"Woah that's so neat!" Aiden screeched when Dean lit up the firework. He stood a good distance away, simply holding out his hand and creating a spark of fire to ignite it.

The celebration device stayed stationary on the ground, spinning with colorful sparks spraying from it. It was what Dean had always called a 'lame' firework. But they couldn't use the ones that went into the air since they were sure to give away their location to creatures and humans from far away.

"What is? My amazing demonic skills, or the firework?"

"Both!" the little boy yelled, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Let's light this one!" one of the girls exclaimed, running over to where an unlit firework lay…way too close to the one currently shooting out fiery sparks.

Dean reached out his hand and the girl froze, floating in midair. All the kids began gasping and cheering while Dean made her float back towards the group. He turned her body, still hovering, toward him.

"Do you want to get your hands burnt or your face blown off? You wanna die?" he asked her, the little girl floating so her face was level with Dean's.

"N…no!" She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. Dean didn't take away any control that the girl had of her body other than not allowing her down.

"Then don't run right next to a burning firework! That shit's dangerous. You don't need to grab it, I can light those things without getting near them."

"Okay Dean, I'm sorry! Can I please stop flying now?"

Dean rolled his eyes but placed the little girl down. Instead of running away like Dean thought, she hugged his legs. "I'll never be bad again, I don't wanna die."

"Just don't run straight into fiery danger and you'll be fine." The other kids began arguing and pouting, demanding that they wanted to 'fly' too. Just great. Knowing these brats, they'd all run toward the burning fireworks just to have a chance to float around with Dean's powers.

Dean pried the little girl off of him, pushing her toward Sam who stood a few feet away. "A little help here?"

"You seem to be doing just fine." Sam was all smiles.

Luckily for Dean, Marcy was there to gather around the kids. They found Dean, and even Sam for whatever reason, to be 'cool' and looked to them more as role models. With Marcy, they saw her as a true adult, maybe like a mom or something, or a teacher. They always listened to her.

"No flying today, Dean only did that to save Emily before she got hurt. Maybe tomorrow during class, Dean can use his powers on all of you so you know what it feels like to fly?"

The kids started cheering excitedly. Oh god no.

"Demon powers are dangerous!" Dean shouted. "They shouldn't be used for fun!"

"Look who's all concerned." Sam nudged him in the side.

"I am not! The idiots shouldn't think demon powers are a joke!"

"Well you can teach that in your 'lesson' tomorrow," Sam said with full air quotes. "It's a perfect chance to show them that you might use your powers on them once in a while to play with them, but any other demon would hurt them."

"Whatever," Dean mumbled. He focused on the other firework and lit it up, this one spraying up a little higher and with different colors. The kids seemed to forget about flying for a moment and were focused once again on the display of lights, clapping and cheering.

It was then that Dean realized no one had scolded or yelled when he used his powers on one of the kids. Back at Bobby's, in the rare occasion he was even around the group of people...if he used his powers, everyone but the kids shied away. He would get dirty or disapproving looks with a good amount of people seeming scared.

But now, no one said anything. When Dean looked around, he saw everyone having a good time, lying out on the grass and chatting. No one was paying him attention, it was as if he blended in.

While he was looking, he noticed Ruby standing in the distance, folding her arms as she watched the kids play. For some reason he felt compelled to talk to her. Maybe he just needed some demonic company in a sea of humans.

"Gonna go talk to demon bitch," Dean told his brother, pointing his thumb over to Ruby. "Think you can distract the kids by giving them the sparklers?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. And don't be too hard on her, she did help save you after all."

"She just wanted me to stick around so she could get some good sex." Dean darted away before Sam could smack or scold him.

"Wow," Ruby said as he approached. "You don't look like death warmed over, almost didn't recognize you."

"Yeah, happy to see you too, bitch."

Ruby chuckled. "Awe, we're so sweet to each other."

"Well, we kinda are. Most other demons would be tearing each other's throats out by now." Ruby cocked her head to the side in agreement and Dean continued. "Where the hell have you been all day anyway?"

"In my room. Thinking," she replied shortly.

"Oookay…" Did Dean talk like this with other people? No wonder some didn't want to get into conversations with him. "And thinking of what exactly?"

Apparently if asked, Ruby wouldn't hesitate to answer. "I was going to leave after Alastair was killed, always was going to. No reason to stick around for protection when Crowley's in charge and the demons aren't out to murder me."

"Yet you're still here."

"Yeah captain obvious. And I don't even know why. I think I don't want to leave."

"Hell, I  _know_  I don't want to." Dean didn't bother holding back the truth. "And before, I never wanted anything to do with these people. I avoided them. I wanted to leave this place with Sam and be on our own but now…"

"I think you're rubbing off on me Winchester." Ruby smirked and shook her head. "What's gotten into us, wanting to stay with a bunch of annoying humans?"

"Maybe it's a good thing," Dean pointed out.

Ruby looked skeptical. "You really believe that?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I feel like I actually belong somewhere now. I feel like I'm staying here not just for Sam anymore, but for myself."

"Well, they do seem to like  _you_."

"You were here before me. They don't seem to be wishing your ass out. Maybe if you didn't go out all the time and spent some time here, they'd want to be around you more."

"You know that we have to get out and kill some things…or release some energy." Ruby was referring to the demonic tension that Dean knew built up over time.

"Yeah, but I don't think you need to leave as much as you think. Try staying here and doing other stupid things and maybe you'll find that you can relax more." He wagged his eyebrows. "There's other ways to exert energy."

Ruby sighed. "I'll remember that. But I'm sure with as physical and demanding as I am, I'd hurt your poor broken arm."

"I think I can handle a little bit of pain." Dean winked.

"Dean! Light the other fireworks!" Aiden yelled suddenly, a dying sparkler in his hand. Of course the sparklers would only entertain them for so long. Dean's poor brother looked frazzled, trying to hand out the small items as the kids jumped around him, demanding that the fireworks be lit.

"Interacting with them is annoying, but it's not so hard," he told Ruby, smirking. "I'll show you how it's done."

"Look at you, suddenly an expert at human connection."

"Compared to you, I am."

"Don't get too cocky, you're still awkward as hell."

To Dean's surprise, Ruby actually followed him toward the kids.

* * *

After the mini fireworks display, Marcy ushered all the kids to bed while the most of the adults stayed awake and gathered in the restaurant-turned-cafeteria. Aiden was back up in their room. The little boy had wanted the brothers to watch movies with him in the suite., but Dean had actually wanted to join everyone in the bar instead of going back to the room. Hopefully the boy wasn't making a mess of things or Sam knew Dean would throw a fit.

Everyone was gathered around in the bar area. Sam remembered being invited by one of the hotel survivors to come hang out there a while ago. The man hadn't invited Dean and seemed wary of him. Now, no one seemed to bat an eyelash at the demon, who was sitting next to his brother at a table.

Even though Dean had willingly joined everyone in the bar, he still remained distant. Their table was a good distance away from most of the activity and Sam was too afraid to join in and leave Dean sitting by himself.

At least Dean was trying, but it was obvious he still felt awkward and wasn't sure what to do.

Sam noticed how his brother kept eyeing the pool game that was going on with longing. Dean had always loved the game and could beat almost anyone; it was one of his favorite pastimes.

"Why don't you go and join them?" Sam nudged his brother, who was sipping at a beer even though it wouldn't affect him. Taking a sip of his own, Sam thought maybe he could have a few drinks tonight and be carefree. Why not enjoy it before the beer ran out?

"Nah," Dean muttered but still never took his eyes off the game that was being played. "Arm's broken anyway."

"So? You can still use it to aim while it's in the sling. You'll just have to adjust your style of play."

Dean shrugged and Sam decided to leave it up to his brother. They watched in comfortable silence for a while before Carl took a shot and groaned as the cue ball didn't even hit another ball.

That seemed to finally break Dean out of his silence. "Dude, you suck! What the hell was that?"

Carl looked over and grinned. "Then why don't you join and school us all if you're such a pro?" He waved over for Dean to join them.

Dean hesitated, and Sam nudged him again. It was the perfect opportunity for Dean to get involved. An invitation would make Dean feel less like he was forcing the people to like him and instead like he was wanted.

"Go," Sam told him. "Kick all of their asses."

Dean stood up but looked back at Sam. "You comin'?"

"I'll sit this one out, don't want to beat you and make you look less capable."

"You've only beat me…what five times?" Dean scoffed.

"More like fifteen," Sam replied as cockily as he could.

"Out of what? Five hundred times?" Dean over exaggerated and pointed at Sam. "After I'm done showing these idiots how it's done, me and you are facing off."

"Alright, just no cheating like you did in the video game."

"This is a real game, not any electronic crap. Trust me, I don't need to cheat. I'm a pro."

"If you're so great then get your ass over here and show us how it's done!" Carl was folding his arms, waiting impatiently. "Leave poor Sam alone! He gets enough of your demon nagging every day."

"He's got a point. Now go, leave me be," Sam joked, trying to get Dean to stop stalling and go join the fun.

"Bitch," Dean whispered, but walked over to the pool table anyway.

Sam couldn't help but chuckle. "You stupid, dorky jerk."

* * *

As it turned out, Dean was a terrible teacher. Sam wasn't sure how in the world he taught the kids.

Well, maybe he wasn't completely terrible. He knew exactly what he was talking about in trying to teach Carl and a few others how to 'properly' play the game and he was excellent at giving out instructions.

But he was impatient as hell. He got easily frustrated over practically everything.

Carl went for a shot and missed his striped ball, accidentally hitting the 8 ball in, causing him to lose again.

'What the fuck was that? I told you not to hit so hard." Dean slammed his cue stick against the pool table in anger.

"Dean, dude, chill." Carl shook his head. "I'm the one that lost, not you."

"You're making  _me_ look bad because  _I'm_ teaching you, all because you can't follow basic instructions!"

Sam noticed Allen, the jerk that hated Dean, perked up when he noticed Dean's behavior. He almost went to stand up, but caught Sam's expression. The man then started glancing around the room, trying to find someone to back him up. But a good amount of people were chatting, not even paying attention to Dean or noticing anything out of the ordinary. The ones that were focused on the older brother simply rolled their eyes or laughed at his tantrum.

Sam smirked when Allen sat back down, looking both confused and angry. The younger brother focused back on the argument going on between Dean and Carl.

"I've been drinking! Give me a break! Sorry I hurt your pride, oh great one." Carl was being snarky right back.

"At this point you're better off aiming anywhere and hoping you get lucky!"

It was actually nice to see Dean get into a normal, stupid argument without any real heat behind it. Well, at least on Carl's end. And Sam was sure the man knew not to take Dean's petty irritation personally.

"How about this?" Carl asked as he took a sip of his beer. "You and I will face off against another expert and a beginner, taking turns. Sound good?"

Dean immediately turned to face his brother. "Sammy, get your ass over here."

Sam smiled, walking over. "Okay, then who's my partner?"

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "Who here sucks as bad as Carl?"

"Hey!" Carl called out in mock-offense.

"Hey weirdos, can I join?" Jo headed over form the bar.

"Nice try. You're too good." Dean waved his arm at her and the girl was pushed away slowly by his powers. "Get the hell out."

Jo laughed as she was pushed away, she slid right by Allen, who looked absolutely perplexed that she wasn't afraid or angry by Dean using his powers on her. Maybe the man would be forced to accept that Dean wasn't a danger to anyone here.

"Sam!" Dean snapped his fingers in front of his brother's face. "Stop daydreaming, you gotta find a partner, help me look."

Dean's attention suddenly zoned in on someone standing at the far end of the bar. He pointed over at the woman, narrowing his eyes as if he was searching out a predator. It would be creepy to anyone who didn't know Dean. "You. Get over here."

Sam squinted and saw that it was Heather. He hadn't even seen her outside during the fireworks and he hoped the woman was okay.

"Are you as terrible at this game as I'm hoping you are?" Dean questioned the woman, who seemed nervous, not at Dean, but at the whole congregation of people.

"I…I guess. Never really played before. A few times for fun when I was a teenager."

"Good. Okay, I know you're my torture buddy, but you gotta be Sam's partner this time."

Sam glared at his brother at his use of the nickname. Sure, Dean wanted to joke off the whole Alastair experience in front of everyone, but that didn't mean that this poor woman would be able to. She was likely still traumatized.

But to Sam's surprise, her shocked expression changed to that of a smile and she ended up laughing a little bit. "Okay. Hi Sam."

"Hey Heather. You feeling any better? I'm sure you went through a lot. You don't have to play if you're not up to it."

"I'm okay." She shrugged. "Dean had to stab my arm to stop Alastair from attacking me. But it's just a flesh wound and it hurts a little but I can play through it. The demons slapped me around some before that but didn't do much when I think about it. They kept me fed, probably because they wanted me to stop crying. It was just…scary."

"I'll tell you what was scary," Dean huffed. "Your crying was. You're right that they fed you to stop that obnoxious noise."

Heather kept smiling, which perplexed Sam even more. "Yeah. I was kind of a baby. I wouldn't have blamed you if you did kill me, with me sobbing while you were under so much stress. But you didn't. You were a lot braver than I was. Thank you Dean."

The woman walked closer to Dean, hugging the wide-eyed demon gently. Dean was frozen in shock for a moment before he pushed her off of him with his good arm.

"Hug me again and you will be dead."

Carl laughed. "But Dean! You're such a loveable demon that none of us can help it. I saw you hugging your brother when he rescued you and you didn't seem to mind it!"

"That was my _brother_. He can hug me…on occasion. Very rarely." Dean folded his arm, tucking it in behind his slinged one. Sam could tell he wasn't enjoying having his 'big bad demon' persona ruined, but at least he wasn't reminding them all that he was one. "Now come on! Let's play this stupid game."

Sam had to admit he had a lot of fun. Dean was obnoxious the entire time, taunting Sam every time he went to take a shot, but he did praise him as well, saying that 'little brother learned from the best'.

However, when Sam and Heather ended up winning, even if it was only by a hair, Dean threw the cue on the ground and pointed angrily at Sam. "You got lucky."

"Oh yeah, how?"

"Because of this ass right here." He jabbed his thumb toward Carl.

"Hey! You missed a shot too!" Carl replied.

"The only reason I did is because I have this broken arm and I can't aim like I normally would!"

Sam chuckled. "Guys….it wasn't either of your faults. How about you just admit that I'm better?"

Dean gave Sam the middle finger and stalked away.

"Well, that was interesting." Carl laughed. "I'll need some practice and then we need a rematch. Although if we win, Dean would be bragging for the next year."

Sam smiled. "It's better than him pouting."

Dean must have heard, as he glanced over. He pointed at Sam and then made the motion of slicing his throat.

Shaking his head fondly, Sam turned away from his brother. He started putting the pool cues away when he heard someone talking.

"I don't understand how anyone can like him. He's an asshole."

Sam sought out the sound of the voice, finding that it came from Allen. Of course. He was talking to another man, one of the other hotel survivors. Sam recognized him as the guy that had invited Sam to the bar weeks ago.

The other man shrugged. "I don't see the appeal either. He's a jerk and he's rude. Don't see why people bother to talk to him. But he's not evil. Just ignore him like I do."

Sam immediately began walking toward the men, anger brewing inside him at those words about his brother. He was stopped when Carl grabbed onto his arm.

"Sam, just let it go. It doesn't matter what they think."

"So I should just let them insult Dean?" Sam hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

"Just ignore them right back. Allen just wants attention. You don't want to get into it with him because then Dean will jump in to defend you and…"

"And it will just be a mess and cause more tension," Sam finished with a sigh.

"Exactly. They're just two people and they don't even know Dean. You've seen how many more people are comfortable around him now."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish that asshole would finally get over it."

"He probably never will. But we'll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't try anything on Dean. But I don't think he will. He's all talk." Carl casually flipped Allen off over his shoulder. "And for the record, yeah, Dean can be pretty much a jerk. But once you get to know him, peel back the layers, he's a good guy. Everyone that matters can see that."

Sam nodded. It took everything in him not to defend his brother. But he knew Carl was right. The last thing Dean needed right now was to get into a fight. His brother was finally feeling fun and relaxed and Sam wasn't going to ruin that.

Speaking of fun…Sam turned to look for Dean only to find him with Jo….making out with Jo to be exact.

"Oh god," Sam grumbled. He immediately searched for Ellen, who he found sitting at a table, narrowing her eyes at the demon.

Sam walked over to her. "You going to be okay with that?"

Ellen's stiff posture didn't change. "Not exactly. Who would want their daughter kissing a demon? But I'd rather it be Dean than some random man I don't know."

Ellen suddenly stood up from the table, looking angry. Sam turned and saw that Dean had put his hand over Jo's chest. Oh no…please…

Jo shook her head and wagged her finger at Dean, letting him know that she didn't want to go that far. The older brother simply shrugged, smirked a little and moved his hand away, putting it back along her waist.

Sam smiled and Ellen sighed in relief, looking much more comfortable with the situation.

"See? He's still Dean. He might be a little more daring, but he'll respect her if she tells him no."

"Good." Ellen's gaze wasn't so harsh anymore. "I didn't want him pressuring her to sleep with him."

Sam laughed. "He's got other women that will do that. And Ruby."

"That makes me feel  _so_  much better," Ellen replied, but she smiled a little.

Bobby approached a few moments later, saving Sam from any awkwardness. Both Ruby and Castiel were following him. The older man glanced over at Dean and Jo, rolling his eyes. Ruby snickered at them and Castiel looked confused.

"How many women does Dean have intimate relations with?"

"Too many." Ellen shook her head. "And Jo isn't going to go any further with him."

Bobby seemed to have enough, pointing at Jo and Dean. "You two cut it out. I figured it's about time we discussed what happened to that demon in the library."

Dean huffed but Sam watched as his face lit up at the mention of talking about something relating to hunting. Some things never changed.

"So, you think it's a new mutation?" Dean asked as he and Jo joined the rest of the hunters.

"What else could it be, dumbass," Ruby shot back.

"Stop," Sam demanded before either of the demons could go further in insulting each other. "Maybe it's not a real mutation that will spread. Maybe there were only a few Croats that were changed."

"Yeah, like the last mutation when they got stronger and needed to be decapitated to die, right?" Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh wait, that mutation ended up spreading. You're just as dumb as your brother. You really think this one won't do the same?"

"You're right." Sam hated that he had to admit it. "We know from the shifter we trapped that Eve created the first mutation. Maybe the first one was just…a failure…or testing the waters for what she was really trying to do."

"No." Dean shook his head. He looked thoughtful and excited to contribute. "I don't think that was any failure. Alastair would have wanted the Croats even stronger. He knew there was still a good amount of survivors out there and he'd want them dead or under his rule. I think he told Eve to go ahead and mess with their genetics or whatever. That first one was done on purpose for Alastair…but this second one…"

"She didn't allow the second mutation to be released until Alastair was dead," Sam said. Dean had really been thinking this through more than Sam had assumed.

"If Eve is what she claims to be," Castiel spoke up. "The mother of all monsters in existence, she can create anything. But I would not think she could transform a monster that was not created by her."

Everyone was silent in thought for a few moments before Dean spoke.

"That's probably why she teamed up with Alastair," he pointed out. "The bitch knew that she could get intel on how the Croats were made and how they worked. She was able to get enough information on them to be able to change them into what she wanted…things that could kill demons. She was smart, I'll give her that."

"Why not just create an all new monster that could do it?" Bobby asked.

"There's so many Croats already," Sam told him. "If this thing can spread among them easily, she doesn't have to do any of the hard work. There will be millions of demon-killing monsters out there. Why go through the hassle of making a new monster?"

"Maybe it was easy for her to transform the poisonous Croat bite so it could affect demons too." Dean shrugged. "Whatever. Now I just really want to go kill those things even more."

That got Sam's attention. "Do you know how much more careful you're going to have to be? These things can kill you now Dean!"

"We don't know how many of them are mutated this way. It can't be all of them. She had the ones that were locked away."

"Yeah, and who knows how many more she had waiting? And not just in the library, in other places as well! And we don't know how quickly this thing can spread!"

"Sam's right." Bobby stood up. "You have to assume that any Croat can kill you. There's no taking chances Dean."

"Okay, okay! But you're not stopping me from going out there and gathering supplies and hunting them! I'm going out there tomorrow."

"You just got back from being tortured Dean! Your arm is broken!"

Ellen, Jo and Carl ended up excusing themselves and scurrying away. They were smart people, knowing not to really get involved in the discussions so they could easily sneak away from the drama.

"Yeah and I rested for two days and I feel good. Even with one working arm, I'm still five times stronger than the average human!"

Sam knew that Dean was right, but that didn't mean he liked the idea any more. "You're not going out there without at least me coming with you."

Dean sat back in his seat, seeming to calm down. "Of course you're coming with me. I need you to watch my back, bitch."

"You won't sneak out again like last time?"

"Sam. I was screwed up then, the journal was messing with my head. I won't go without you." Dean was shockingly sincere.

Ruby huffed loudly. "Well, this is so sweet, but I'm afraid I can't take anymore. Better leave before I throw up." She walked away and over to the bar.

Bobby was the only one sitting with them still, he cleared his throat. "You boys best stick together. We don't know what else the mutation will change in the Croats as well. And we gotta keep an eye out for this Eve. We don't know if she wants our heads on a platter."

"Of course she will, she'll know we wanna stop her." Dean grabbed Sam's beer and drained the rest. "Just another day in the lives of the Winchesters and company."

"As long as we're prepared, I think we can handle it." Bobby patted both of the brothers on the shoulder. "Night boys."

Sam wished Bobby goodnight and then glanced back at his brother, eying the sling that held his broken arm.

"Something's on your mind Sam, you should just spit it out," Dean said gruffly.

Sam had to give Dean credit. He obviously didn't want to talk about these matters any longer, but he knew Sam wanted to and was giving him the option to clear his thoughts.

"I'm just…do you honestly feel okay to go out again and fight if you need to? Your stomach…"

"Stomach's fine. Just a little sore but it's not painful anymore."

"Okay good. But what…" Sam eyed his brother's face, grabbing Dean by the chin and turning him so he could look at his left cheek. There was a wound that he had noticed before and it was still there, although it was lightly scabbed over. "What's with this wound? It looks like you got sliced. Why isn't it gone by now?"

Dean grabbed Sam's hand and pried it off his face. "Relax. Alastair got me with the demon knife."

"Dean! That's the thing that paralyzed your arm! We couldn't heal it until Crowley gave us the…"

"Sam. Chill." Dean looked annoyed. "It was just a small flesh wound. It didn't break through bone or anything like last time. It's not that deep. It'll heal but slower and will probably leave a permanent scar. No big deal."

Sam sighed. "It's just…I worry Dean, okay? Give me a break. I'm sick of you getting hurt and I don't want something to happen to you when we go out."

Dean's annoyed expression got a bit softer. "I get it Sam. But you'll have my back. You know I trust you not to let anything happen to me right?" Dean smiled crookedly.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I can promise you that."

"I know. And you've gotta watch your own ass too. If these things can kill me, you know that you're probably not immune anymore, right?"

Sam nodded, he had assumed just as much. They had to be extremely careful, but they still had to continue to fight or they would get rusty. Plus, Dean _needed_ that excitement and energy of hunting something.

"Is now a good time for me to interrupt?"

Both brother's jumped at the sound of Castiel's voice. Had he still been standing near them the entire time?

"What the hell do you want?" Dean asked through clenched teeth. He seemed to be aggravated by the angel's ability to scare him.

"I have discovered something that will concern you both. I suggest we talk in private."

Dean looked suspicious and Sam was worried, but they both followed Castiel out of the bar and headed into one of the small meeting rooms.

"Okay. Get on with it," Dean ordered.

"You do remember, Dean, when I spoke to you about your blood changing Sam."

"What?" Sam couldn't help but shout a little. "When did this happen? Changing me how? Why didn't you tell me?" He stared at his brother, who didn't seem to be worried.

Just by Dean's expression, Sam knew it couldn't be serious. His brother hadn't kept it from him on purpose. He should relax, but he was a little nervous over what this angel was going to tell him. What did he and Dean already know?

"Sam…it wasn't….he told me one day and it wasn't anything serious. And I didn't want to freak you out because you already seemed like you had enough crap on your mind…then the journal happened..."

"Dean, it's okay." Sam assured him, feeling a little better but still curious. "What was it?"

"He just said…something with your soul…he said that my blood is making you stronger…you're gonna heal a little quicker and not get sick as often…"

"He is correct Sam. It is not damaging you. You are not in any danger," Castiel spoke.

"So…" Sam faced the angel again. "What's so important that you needed to talk to us?"

"I have figured out exactly what the changes were doing to you."

Sam swallowed, nervous even though he was told that he wasn't in danger. Dean moved to stand in front of Sam protectively, glaring down at Castiel.

"Hurry and get on with it!"

Castiel didn't wait another second. "It is not exactly your soul that is changing, but rather the relationship between your soul and your body. I figured out what had seemed so strange to me. Your body is no longer aging."

Sam hardly noticed that Dean had left his post in front of him and charged at the angel. His mind was buzzing with a hundred thoughts. He wasn't aging anymore? Dean's blood had done this...it had changed him...

But did it really change him in such a bad way? He didn't feel any different...a bit stronger, sure, but that was to be expected. There hadn't been anything major until now...

His body was stuck at 28 years old. If he wanted to continue to age, he would have to stop drinking the blood. While he might still have some powers without it...he wouldn't be able to use telepathy with Dean...to share his dreams with him...

While Sam was contemplating on whether or not to stop, he suddenly realized something very important. Something that could be a solution to his and Dean's biggest problem. He quickly focused back on what was happening around him.

"You ass! You told me Sam was fine!" Dean had Castiel pinned against the wall with his good arm. "Where's that angel blade? I'll kill you myself!"

Castiel shoved Dean back, still powerful enough to cause the demon to fall to his butt on the ground. "I will not be spoken to in this manner. Your brother is fine."

"Dean." Sam rushed to his brother and grabbed him before he could charge at Castiel again. He focused in on his powers so he could control his brother's strength. "Listen to him. He's right. This is a good thing!"

"What the hell are you talking about Sam? You're not aging!"

"Yeah, exactly! And that's not bad...Dean...this can fix everything!" Sam grinned despite his brother's confused expression.

"I'm not following."

"You don't age, Dean, and now I don't either. I won't get old and die, leaving you behind. We can stay together if we want to. Forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading. Another long chapter over 10,000 words. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, so please leave some feedback if you have the time.


	28. Chapter 28

_We can stay together. Forever._

Sam's words bounced around through Dean's thoughts. His brother was right...this would solve the lingering problem that had been looming in the back of his mind everyday. He couldn't get into heaven, and if it ever opened up again and Sam got in, they would have been permanently separated.

But Dean had always figured there would have been some way to get himself in there. He never expected for Sam to stay on earth.

"Sammy, you'd be giving up your shot at heaven. Isn't it supposed to be paradise or some shit? I can't let you do that."

Sam's smile morphed into a scowl and he clenched his fists. "Paradise? Dean how the hell can it be paradise if you aren't there with me?"

"Aww, that's awfully sweet Sammy but..."

"Stop." Sam's tone was snippy. "You know what I mean. We don't even know what heaven is like but I don't have a good feeling. Why would I ever want to go somewhere where those angels are in control? They tortured you. You can't be with me and I have no desire to go."

"Even if Dean was ever allowed in," Castiel spoke up. "There would always be unrest with a demon being in heaven. I believe some angel would always be out to kill him."

"See!" Sam waved his arms in the air. "It would never work. But this...me not aging...Dean, it's perfect!" He walked over to Dean and placed a hand on his shoulder, the look in his eyes showed how desperate he was for Dean to agree.

Sam's excitement over the situation was still a bit confusing to Dean. Did Sam realize what he would be giving up? Surely he was only thinking about the benefit of staying together. Once the kid had time to really access the situation, he would see the drawbacks and decide against it.

Not that Dean wanted him to. Hell no. But he had to think of Sammy in this situation. Of what was best for his brother.

"Sam. You forgetting what kind of world we're in? This ain't the old earth and it probably never will be again. We have to fight to survive and nothing is going to be easy."

"I know that. We can handle it."

"What about you being so depressed about this life? You think you can handle an eternity of this?"

Sam didn't get offended like Dean suspected. "I told you that I'm working on that. I realize all the good we have now. I'll be okay Dean. There will always be hope."

Of course Sam would say something girly about the 'hope for the world' but would he still have that outlook when more people continued to drop dead because of the virus?

"This would be forever Sam. You'd be stuck like you are now. Do you have any idea what you'd be giving up? How many people you'd have to see die?"

"It's okay. It's worth it. And besides, do you know how many people we'd get to save, how many people we could help? We were never meant for heaven Dean...I think we were always meant to stay here. We wouldn't belong anywhere else but here...saving people and hunting things."

Okay, Dean was starting to get convinced that this was what his brother really wanted. "You're willing to go through  _anything_  this world's gonna spit out at us for _thousands_  of years?"

Sam was still smiling. "It sounds crazy, doesn't it? But yeah. It might be scary but it would be exciting."

"Until the sun eats up the world," Dean pointed out.

"It's the sun dying Dean, expanding and burning out. That's not for five billion or some years."

Dean couldn't stop his smirk from forming. "You'd put up with my demon ass for five billion years?"

"It would be tough, but I think I can manage." There was a sparkle in Sam's eyes that made Dean feel pleasantly happy, in the way only his brother could. Sam was honestly saying he would stay on earth forever just for him...he was more than willing to.

But Dean still couldn't help but worry.

"This world is fucking dangerous Sammy. You wouldn't age, but it's not like you'd be practically immortal like me." He turned to Castiel for clarification. "Right?"

"That would be correct."

"That's okay. The blood did make me stronger. I don't really get sick. I would just have to make sure I don't get hurt or bitten. But I've got you to look out for me, right?"

"Damn straight. And I won't let anything happen to you."

"We'll figure it out," Sam told him. "We'll find a place that we can stay in, that won't be temporary like this hotel. Somewhere that we can build a life and a community that we can sustain."

The whole thing was tempting and pretty exciting if Dean said so himself. He would have his little brother by his side, fighting off Croats and whatever else came their way. Their bodies would be stuck in their late twenties, right in their prime physically.

Speaking of age...

"You just turned 28 didn't you Sammy?" When Sam nodded, Dean grinned widely. "Good. I'm still the big brother. Only one year older instead of four."

Sam huffed, still smiling the entire time. "God forbid I stopped aging a few years later. I'd never hear the end of your pouting."

"And you'd never quit teasing me," Dean shot back. Before the younger brother could respond, Dean focused back on the angel. He had just one more question.

"So this blood is just making him stronger? Giving him some more abilities, right? It's not...I don't know...corrupting him or going to hurt him?"

"I see no signs that your blood is negatively tainting Sam. You are his brother, and thus you share the same blood. Yours being demonic just enhances Sam's body and his powers. Being soulmates benefits him as well." Castiel seemed thoughtful. "I also believe that if Sam wished to age again, he would only need to stop drinking the blood.""

So the familial connection with the blood gave Sam physical strengths and the soulmate thing gave him the emotional ability to connect with Dean telepathically and through dreams. At least that was what Dean figured.

Bottom line was that Sammy was safe. He wasn't in any danger. And if he ever changed his mind, he would just quit the blood drinking and age again. Had they actually got away with a win in life? Something good finally happened without any negative consequences? The world had finally taken a break from shitting on them?

It looked like it. And Dean would greedily accept it.

* * *

Sam was in high spirits over the next few days and that mood didn't change when he and his brother journeyed to look for supplies. He had managed to get Dean to wait a few more days before they made their first scavenge trip. All Sam had to do was say that they deserved some time to relax and celebrate the discovery that they wouldn't have to lose each other to have Dean agreeing.

But eventually, Dean got antsy. His happy mood was able to calm down his hyperactive energy for those few days, but the need to get back in the hunt eventually won out.

It was okay though. Dean's arm of course was still broken, but he seemed prepared to hunt in every other way. With Dean not being at a hundred percent, Sam had even convinced him to bring Carl along for extra backup. He doubted they would run into anything extremely dangerous.

They were heading out toward a new area, further into the country. It would be a while before they passed the next small town. Dean had a map open on his lap, directing Sam while he drove.

"So you guys are just going to….live until the end of the world?" Carl asked, sitting in the backseat. The brothers had discussed that they would let anyone who mattered in on their discovery when the time felt right. The only other person they told was Bobby, who said the whole thing was 'crazy as hell' but there had been a smile in his eyes upon knowing the two would never have to live without the other again.

"Looks like it. Cas said that even if heaven was under all new control and they'd be okay with letting my demonic ass in…it would be thousands of years from now," Dean said, squinting down at the map.

"It's crazy…I mean…the Croats were strange enough, but when they first came, I just expected they were zombies. It was unreal but there was always so much lore and talk about them that you quickly learn to accept it." Carl sighed, he sounded sad. "Then there's demons and that…that made me really rethink everything. Not to mention the monsters that I recently found out about….now there's a guy that can live forever by drinking his brother's demon blood. The things you learn at the end of the world…"

Sam had expected Carl to ask more questions and be weirded out by the fact he was drinking Dean's blood. Sure, he had known that Sam had powers before, but no one else but Bobby knew about the blood. Carl didn't even seem that surprised to learn of the news of the blood drinking, and definitely not scared. It was probably because of all the other crazy stuff he had just listed that he witnessed. Blood drinking didn't seem that crazy compared to it, and by this point, Dean was so accepted into the group that no one feared it was dangerous.

"At least your eyes are opened now. Gotta admit, it's kinda nice to not be the only ones that know about the supernatural crap out there," Dean said and Sam had to agree. "Too bad mostly everyone croaked and the world is overrun by Croats." He looked back at the map. "Now what direction are we going in Sammy?"

"South. See any cities on there that aren't marked off?"

"We're running low on towns nearby. There's…"

"There's Doon," Carl spoke up.

Dean turned around to look at the other man. "Doom? Yeah, there's tons of doom all over, that's nothing new."

"No.  _Doon._ With an 'n'. Doon, Iowa. It's…it's where I was from."

There was the crinkling of paper as Dean grabbed the map, his face so close to it that Sam was doubtful he could even make out anything.

"Dude, that town's so small it's almost not even on here. They use like…5 point font on the name."

"It's really small, yeah. Probably small enough that it wasn't even looted. I…I haven't been back since I left with my family to go to Sioux Falls."

Sam hadn't ever heard Carl talk about his family before. He pulled to the side of the road and turned to look at the man. "You left when they announced that there were safehouses in the city?" he asked, knowing all too well that those safehouses had been attacked by demons.

"No," Carl answered. "We didn't think it was safe to go there. We thought being in a small town would be safer. But eventually, we ran out of food. Not many neighbors had stayed but my wife…bless her…she…she refused to go into their houses and take their food."

"That was really fucking stupid," Dean retorted, just as Sam had feared.

Carl didn't seem to get angry. "It was. But she was in denial. She thought they'd be coming back even though it had been months. I went to Luke's house…our next door neighbor...and came back with some cans and she just…broke down. She refused to eat them, cried about how we were losing our humanity…"

"If she only knew about the demons." Dean chuckled darkly.

"That's the thing. We didn't know. One of the powerlines went down in a storm weeks earlier and we stopped getting electricity. We couldn't watch the news to know if it was still broadcasting or not. We had a battery powered radio…but it just kept repeating the same things. The areas in which to stay away from. Signs of the infection."

"Didn't they say the city wasn't safe?" Sam asked.

"They were listing off areas of the city, but my wife was convinced that there had to be areas that were fenced off and safe. She said that there would be much more food and survivors that could help us. So we left. We left with our two daughters."

Carl reached into his jeans' pocket and pulled out a folded photograph. "I always keep this on me." He handed the picture over to Sam.

The photograph showed Carl with his arm around a petite woman. She was in her early thirties, and had long dark hair. She seemed to be part Hispanic and the two little girls, who looked to be no older than seven, had a beautiful mix of both their parents' features with skin a little lighter than Carl's and hair like their mother.

Sam felt himself tearing up at the picture. "They're beautiful," he said sadly, cringing when Dean snatched the picture from him. He didn't need his brother saying anything to upset this poor man…

"That older kid's got good taste," Dean ended up saying and Sam studied the picture a little more, looking at the girl's t-shirt. "Batman's the shit."

Carl burst out laughing, tears in his eyes and Sam loved his brother even more in that moment. Dean wasn't as heartless as he liked to lead on. At least not to people who showed him respect. He could be an ass to Carl, but it had all been in humor. When it came down to the times that mattered, Dean really did try not to hurt him.

"Yeah, she was awesome. They all were." Carl was still smiling while he wiped at his eyes. Sam gave the man credit for being able to even talk about his deceased family, to still be happy and try to live his life to the fullest.

"What happened to them?" Sam asked quietly. "If you don't mind me asking?"

Carl looked down at his lap. "The city wasn't safe. We...with two little girls and a wife who was in denial...we didn't stand a chance. It wasn't even a week before...she had such a hard time killing them. There were a group of Croats...they were going for the girls and I tried...I killed some of them...but she recognized one of them and wouldn't kill it. She ran right into the hoard of Croats to try and grab the girls instead and..."

"They all got bit," Dean finished for him in a flat tone.

"Yeah." Carl swallowed and shook his head. "I had to kill them all. But...but it was better than them turning into one of those things. I had a hard time at first but I met up with others...they had all lost their family. I was just one of many. Then you guys found me and the few others I was with."

"It's a good thing you did man up and shoot 'em before they turned," Dean said, causing Sam to glare at him in horror. "What! It's true. If he killed them after they turned, their souls would be in Hell. At least now there's a chance their spirits are hiding out somewhere."

Oh. That actually made sense.

"You know, I thought that too, when you guys told me about the souls," Carl agreed. "I just hope they're safe…Family always meant so much to me, so it's nice to see that some people still have family alive." He gestured to the brothers. "And that despite even being a demon, you guys get along and stick together. And willing to live forever so you guys don't have to be separated? It's pretty inspiring and helps when I'm feeling down."

Sam smiled at the man, feeling his eyes water. It made perfect sense on why Carl was so accepting of Dean. He hadn't focused on the demon part so much and rather the familial aspect. Dean still being so caring and protective of Sam must have hit a soft spot inside Carl.

"Okay, you guys can gush about how amazing I am later." Dean huffed, slapping the map. "Let's move our asses and get to this town."

Sam didn't bother arguing. He followed Dean's directions and while they were passing through a larger town they already cleared, Dean suddenly tensed up and stuck his head out the window.

"Stop the car!" he demanded, his voice low.

Immediately pulling the car to the side of the road out of habit, Sam parked and tried to follow his brother's line of vision. He didn't see anything but a deserted town.

"Dean…what is it?" Sam kept his voice quiet as well.

"Saw something darting around…" Dean never stopped peering out at the town.

"We finished clearing out this town though, remember?" Sam reminded him. Sadie's group had already taken out the Croats and Sam and Dean had checked out the town once more, making sure it was clear and taking any supplies they could find.

It had been completely empty.

"I know I saw something." Dean seemed confident.

"Maybe it's a lone monster? Like the one Cas found wandering around in one of the other empty towns."

"No." Dean shook his head. "This was a Croat, I'm sure of it."

Croats weren't as easy to pinpoint as the typical image of a zombie-like creature. They didn't rot away, probably because they still had a soul trapped inside them. They could look just like the average person, just with a lot more blood on their clothes and a feral look on their faces.

But these days, most of the monsters probably looked pretty much the same.

"I can sense it Sam," Dean said as if reading Sam's thoughts. Oh yeah, he nearly forgot that demons could sense the Croats since they were creatures with a demonic virus. "Just barely, but I can."

"How would a Croat get into an empty town?" Carl asked. "They usually just stay in the areas where they died."

Carl was right. This was the first they had seen a Croat in an area that they knew had been completely cleared out.

"Who knows? I'm not gonna start thinking about how logical this situation is. It's here. We gotta kill it." Dean sounded excited over the prospect of a kill. He reached for the passenger side door but Sam grabbed his arm.

"You have to be careful Dean. Who knows if this thing is mutated or not."

"I will, I will! Geeze, it's just one of them. We can handle it. Come on."

The three of them made their way to the back of the Impala as silently as they possibly could. They each grabbed a machete and the brothers tucked a few more weapons into their jeans in case there was an actual monster around.

They started toward the town. Sam had tried to take the lead but Dean had glared at him and shoved the younger brother behind him. Sam didn't like it at all. Dean may be a damn demon but he was injured and these things were mutatings with a bite that could kill him.

They were making their way into the small old-fashioned downtown area when Sam heard the growling. He and Dean immediately froze as Carl kept walking, oblivious. He may know how to fight some Croats but he didn't have the trained hunter ear like the two of them.

Sam watched Dean hold his hand out slightly, stopping Carl in his tracks. The man gasped and tensed up before he relaxed, looking back to stare at Dean.

Dean let his hand drop and pointed his thumb over to the small cluster of run-down buildings. Carl understood as he pulled out his machete, slowly inching closer.

There was another growl and Sam focused, finding that it came somewhere to his right. Dean froze up and turned in that direction as well.

 _I go in front_.

Dean's voice almost startled Sam. They hadn't communicated telepathically since Dean was rescued. He faced his brother and glared at him sternly.

 _No, we walk over side-by-side. We're a team, Dean._ Sam really didn't want to go through telling Dean how he wanted to protect his brother too. How he needed to be treated as an equal.

Luckily, Dean motioned for Sam to join him by his side, although by the set of his jaw, he wasn't happy about it.

They rounded an old general store when Dean held out his machete-clad good hand. He waved Sam toward the building and then motioned for Carl to stay put outside.

 _It's in here, I can feel it. Be read,_ Dean sent his thoughts out to Sam and the younger brother positioned his machete in front of him, getting ready to strike as soon as the need be.

The brothers pushed past the door that was barely hanging on by its hinges and walked side-by-side, scanning the building stealthily.

 _I don't see anything, do you?_ Sam asked his brother, trying to take in every inch of the store.

Dean shook his head, taking a few steps forward...

And then it happened.

In a blur, a Croat leapt out from the shadows, landing on Dean and sending him sprawling on the floor. Dean's machete had fallen from his grip and slid away from him while the Croat pinned him to the ground, snarling.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, rushing forward and going in for the swing.

Just before the blade connected with the thing's neck, it jumped off of Dean. Sam startled at the disappearance of the Croat, not expecting it to move away and his balanced faltered. Dean sat up at the same time and Sam's machete connected with his brother's undamaged shoulder.

"Shit! Dean! Oh god..." He knelt next to his brother, horrified by what he had done.

Dean glanced over at the sharp long blade that was at least a couple inches deep into his skin like it was merely a splinter. He grabbed the handle with the same arm and pulled it out, only wincing a little when blood started pouring out from the wound.

A wound like that would heal up in a few minutes. Funny how seeing Dean injured made Sam forget about the whole demon thing.

"Come on! We shouldn't have taken our eyes off of it!" Dean jumped up with Sam's machete now in his hand. He used his powers to help get his brother to his feet as well.

"Guys?" Carl's voice called from outside.

"Stay the hell out there! Keep lookout!" Dean yelled to the man. The brothers spun around in circles, trying to find any sign of the creature. "This isn't fucking normal behavior for them and that thing was strong as hell!"

"It's gotta be mutated...Dean we should get out..."

The Croat was back behind Dean suddenly, running right at him.

"Behind you Dean!" Sam called out.

Dean spun around in a quick motion, swinging in what would have been a perfect hit.

Except the Croat jumped at the last minute, the blade getting stuck in its chest as once again, it brought Dean to the floor.

Sam reached for his machete, only to realize that Dean had taken his when the other had fallen to the floor. He searched around wildly, finally finding it lying a few feet away. Dashing over, he grabbed the weapon amidst the garbage on the floor and looked back toward his brother.

Dean was holding the Croat just far enough away from him so it couldn't bite him. But it wasn't enough for him to grab of the blade that was embedded into the thing's chest. They rolled around on the floor and Sam couldn't get a good angle. He didn't want to lunge at the thing only to miss and get his weapon stuck in the creature's body as well. Then they would both be defenseless.

_Gonna teleport and then we charge at the thing!_

Dean's struggles calmed, he was obviously trying to relax enough so that he could focus on teleporting. The Croat took the opportunity to bring its face down toward Dean's neck, spit flying from its mouth...

A second later, Dean was gone from under the Croat and at Sam's side. The creature jumped up in confusion and Dean used its hesitation to wave his hand and send a table flying through the air. It pinned the Croat to the far wall and the creature trashed violently against it, but it wouldn't hold for long.

"Sammy now!"

Sam didn't waste any time. He swung the machete's blade through the Croat's neck just as it managed to push the table off of it.

Glaring down at the severed head for a moment, Sam turned away and ran back to his brother.

"You okay? I'm so sorry..." he babbled, grabbing at Dean's shoulder only to see that it had stopped bleeding and was halfway healed.

Dean pushed Sam away and smirked. "Sorry you didn't succeed in chopping off my head."

"Shut up. It didn't bite you did it?"

"I may have let it get the upper hand for a minute, but I'm not  _that_ bad of a hunter where I would let it gnaw on me."

"Dean! Sam!" Carl's frightened voice yelled, causing both brothers to run outside. The man was still standing outside the store, not looking any worse for wear.

"What?" Dean asked, energized but irritated.

Carl pointed to the left, his finger shaking.

There were about ten Croats in the distance, wandering around. One turned their way and screamed, alerting the others.

"Shit! Both of you grab onto me now!" Dean yelled. The other men listened, latching onto Dean's shirt and they were teleported in front of the Impala.

Dean stumbled, he was probably still not at full strength and Sam grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him into the passenger seat. He ran around to the driver's side, Carl already in the back.

"Sammy, drive!"

Sam started the engine, glancing in the rear view mirror quickly to see that the creatures had already crossed half the distance to the car.

They were faster. This mutation was more dangerous than anyone could have expected.

He didn't linger on that thought though as he slammed on the gas. The car fishtailed for a moment before it got straightened out, flying down the country road at top speed.

"What the fucking hell just happened?"

For once, Sam thought Dean's language was warranted.

* * *

"But that town was cleared! This whole area has been! How did it get overrun? Croats don't travel to empty towns, they're attracted to sounds and smells."

Sadie was pacing along the lobby after the brothers and Carl came back and told her what they ran into. Sam could only imagine what she was feeling. The girl had always believed they had the perfect haven here, and as they cleared out the surrounding areas, she had only seemed more confident of that.

"It's probably because the fuckers were mutated," Dean said, holding onto his broken arm with a wince. It probably got banged up a bit in the tussle. "They were stronger and trickier to kill, so who's to say they don't have different mannerisms too?"

"How did they mutate so fast? You guys said you only saw a few back at the library…"

"There were probably more that Eve had stashed away," Sam told her. "And who knows how fast this thing can spread."

"Wait." Dean snapped his fingers. "Eve…what if these things didn't travel to that town, but Eve dropped them off there?"

Sam looked at his brother. "Why would she do that?"

"I have no idea. Just thinking of how they could have gotten there so quickly." Dean shrugged. "Either way, these things are spreading and they're close to us. I don't like it and I think we gotta get the hell out of here and away from Sioux Falls."

Sadie turned to face him, looking bewildered. "What? You're joking, right?"

"Like hell I'm joking. These things are nearby for whatever reason. Alastair knew where we were staying and Eve's gotta know we're somewhere in the area. We're in danger."

Sadie shook her head. "We're protected here! Look at all this work we all put in!"

Dean huffed. "Did you honestly think that in this type of world, we'd be able to stay put in one spot? This wasn't a great choice anyway. We're out in the open...a giant building...we got..."

"Dean, okay," Sam interrupted his brother before he could upset Sadie some more. He turned toward the young woman. "He's right. We talked about it on our way back and...I think we'd be safer getting further away from here. Our enemies know our relative location."

"You agree with him?" She was looking at Sam like he was crazy.

"Yeah, I do. How are we going to scavenge for supplies when the towns are getting run over again near here? What if they wander closer to the hotel? Sadie..." Sam sighed, finding it hard to find a way to get her to understand him. "These Croats...they're way more dangerous than any we've seen. Dean and I had a hard enough time taking down  _one_."

"And if two hunters...one of them that's a demon..." Dean pointed at himself, "have a hard time, then what happens when there's a bunch of those bastards and we're surrounded?"

Sadie swallowed, shaking her head. "So we go out there where we could run into them, instead of staying here where we've been safe?"

"You wanna stay here and never be able to leave because the whole area is overrun with Croats?" Dean asked quizzically.

"Sadie, I know it's dangerous." Sam tried to speak calmly but sternly. "But I think it's even _more_  dangerous staying in this area. If we leave we can try to find some place safer and more concealed..."

Sam stopped when he noticed a group was forming around them. From next to him, Dean moaned.

"I'll let them know what you're telling her," the older brother said and then walked away, motioning the people to gather around him. Sam noticed that Bobby and Ellen were there, so at least they would hear Dean out.

"Sam, you don't understand how much work I put into this, how far we've come..." Sadie continued. "We have a society here! We'd be giving up everything."

"I do understand it Sadie, trust me. The last thing I want to do is leave. But we have to think of everyone's safety. We wouldn't be giving up everything. We could bring stuff with us...and we're smarter now. We built a society once and we can do it again."

"So we just up and leave without waiting to see if things get better?" She actually had tears in her eyes although Sam doubted she would let them fall.

"You know it won't get better. Not when we can't kill these things without casualties. And we don't have to leave right now. We prepare, get everything ready and then we leave together in a few days...maybe a week."

Sadie glanced over to where Dean was enthusiastically describing the failed supply run. "And where exactly will we go to?"

Sam sighed. "I don't know. But we'll never know until we get out there and look. If we stay together, we should be okay. It's better than staying here like sitting ducks. We could...Dean mentioned the Rocky Mountains. There are cabins out there that are probably really secluded. I think it's a good idea to look out there."

"We'd have the protection of the mountains..." Sadie no longer seemed as reluctant. "But we'd have to find some flat land to farm..."

"I'm sure there's areas nestled between some mountain ranges that would be good. Dean and I were going to look at some maps tonight and find some general areas that we can search."

Sadie smiled a little. "Dean's really into this, huh? I swear it used to seem like he hated being stuck here with us and now he's trying to help us find a safe place to live."

"He likes feeling like he's included. He feels like he belongs and had people that accept him for who he is. He's going to protect that." Sam looked over at his brother, smiling proudly at the way he was communicating with the group. The people had to be shocked and frightened to hear the news, but it didn't seem that any yelling was taking place. Sam turned back to face Sadie. "No one is going to have a problem with him coming with us, will they?"

"Sam," Sadie spoke sternly. "Dean is part of this group, of course he's coming whether people like it or not. And they won't have a problem with it…well most won't anyway. The ones that do can deal with it."

"I figured. But I thought I'd ask just to be sure…"

"You're protective of him, I get it," she said fondly. "You want to make sure he's treated fairly. But you don't have to worry about it…it's Ruby that I'm pretty sure they'll have a problem with."

"Really?" Sam cocked an eyebrow. "Wasn't she the one that helped get his place running with magically enhancing the generator and pool? She's been around a lot longer than Dean…"

"And she doesn't act half as human as your brother. She's not exactly like the other demons, sure…but she doesn't talk to anyone. She's never around. People only really wanted her here because she said she would shut down the generator if we made her leave. They don't trust her like they do Dean."

Sam thought back to the other day. "Dean told me he talked to her a bit and she agreed to come over and watch the fireworks. I saw her by the kids."

"Yeah, she did come by," Sadie admitted. "But she didn't even try to interact. She stood there away from everyone with her arms folded for five minutes and left. Dean was lighting those fireworks and playing with the kids. People notice these differences and that's why they trust him and not her."

They walked over to one of the couches and sat down. Sam watched his brother for a little while and how he genuinely seemed pretty comfortable talking with the people and explaining the Croat situation. He thought of what Sadie said about Ruby and couldn't really remember her ever being part of the group other than going to rescue Dean. Maybe he had let his guard down too much with her.

"Do you trust her?" he asked the young woman, curious of her answer.

"I don't think she's going to kill us, but trust? No, I think she's only out for herself. Dean might act like he is…but I don't think so. Look at him right now. Why would he talk to people about the danger they're in and trying to get them somewhere safe if he didn't care in someway?"

"He does care…," Sam told her what he knew to be true. It was something he had really come to notice in these last few months. "Not in the way most humans would but…these people accept him and he doesn't want to lose that feeling of belonging."

The young woman smiled. "Yeah…can you see Ruby doing what Dean is doing now? Do you think she would hang out with the kids…let alone allow one to stay in a room with her, like Dean does with Aiden?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I can't."

"I don't know what to do if she decides to come with us. I'm worried but I'm more afraid of what would happen if I told her to leave."

Sam understood that. If Dean would have been kicked out, he would have thrown around some cuss words and maybe thrown some things, but that would be it. With Ruby…who knew if she would want to get revenge?"

Sam was brought out of his musings about Ruby when someone approached the two of them. He assumed it was Dean, but he looked up to see a furious Allen standing in front of them.

"You about to tell me that we should listen to that thing…," he pointed over to Dean who was smartly ignoring the man, "when it comes to determining the safety of a bunch of humans? There's no way in hell a demon can know what's best for us!"

"You know Allen…" Sadie spoke up before Sam could. "Dean could easily snap your neck if he wanted to and he hasn't laid a finger on you. Don't you think that counts for something?"

She paused, waiting for Allen to have some counter argument, but his mouth just opened and closed without a word. "I thought so. And I would think that a demon who had went through Hell would be the best at determining possible threats. We're lucky he's telling us about them and trying to get us away instead of letting us stay in the dark. No one is going to force anyone to leave though, so if you want to continue to live here, be my guest. Good luck surviving on your own without mooching off the rest of us who put in an effort to keep this place going."

"I help!" Allen yelled defensively.

"You are conveniently sick or too tired when I ask you to do something. You are useless on supply runs because you're too nervous to go into any place that hasn't already been cleared out. The only reason why you're not kicked out is because I know you'd be dead in a few days and I couldn't live with the thought of having someone's death on my hands." She walked over to the group of people but turned around before she got there. "Oh, and Dean's not a 'thing'. He has more team effort than you, so think about that for a second before you judge him."

Allen stared dumfounded at Sadie for a moment before turning to Sam. "Can you believe that bitch?"

Sam stood up, staring Allen down. "Also, Dean wouldn't ever call Sadie a bitch, so maybe you should think about that for a second too."

The expression on Allen's face was enough payback for Sam.

* * *

"I told you this was the last game! I'm not playing anymore!" Dean put the game controller down, ignoring the sad expression on Aiden's face. Not only was the kid annoying him, but in order for him to play, he had to keep the controller close to his body because of the sling and his arm was starting to get stiff and hurt.

"But Dean! If we're gonna move away, we have to play the games as long as we can! What if our new home doesn't have an Xbox?"

"We're not leaving  _tomorrow_ brat. We've got a few days or a week and we can play more then. So stop whining."

"You're just mad because I beat you!"

"I  _let_  you beat me so you wouldn't cry like a baby."

"Guys, quit it." Sam sat in the lounge chair next to them overlooking maps. He shook his head at the bickering.

"You can play him tomorrow," Dean told his brother. He got up to turn off the console and Aiden immediately groaned.

"Can we watch a movie now?" the little boy asked.

"No." Sam placed down the map and stood up. "Why don't you get ready for bed? I think we're all about to call it a night."

"Okay, fine." Aiden pouted and walked over to Sam's bathroom.

"Thank god," Dean sighed as soon as Aiden disappeared from sight. "Thought I'd never get him to stop bugging me. Find any place on the map?"

He and Sam had gone over some maps together for a while before Aiden started demanding attention. They had some areas circled out and Dean was curious to know if Sam had narrowed it down.

"I'm thinking Colorado. The mountains are pretty dense there. If we stay in lower elevation, I think the winters won't be too terrible and we'll have warm summers. The only problem is that we don't get a closer view of these areas. If only we had internet and Google Maps again, I could zoom in and see where the areas of flat land are between the mountains."

"Well nothing we can do about that," Dean responded. "We just make our way to Colorado and get into the mountains. Then we'll try to find some back-roads and keep trying them until we find a good area."

"Yeah. We have to stay off the main roads that people might be travelling. I'm sure if we take a back-road for a while it would be far enough removed from the main ones where we'll be safe and no stragglers would find us. The only problem is that we have to hope we find a set of cabins or something with water nearby. But it can't be too close to a town because survivors will head there to loot."

Dean nodded, agreeing with everything his brother was saying. They had already picked what cars they would take and filled them with gas. Dean took it as his own job to put the remaining gas containers in the trunks of those cars. They were going to need all the fuel they could get but it seemed like they would have enough to make it to Colorado.

That meant the cars were all set, and Dean basically had most of his things packed into his duffle and backpack. Sam hadn't exactly been happy with Dean packing so early, but he figured why not? The thought of moving energized and excited him, even though he really would miss this hotel like hell. But it never seemed like a permanent solution. He just hoped the safer place that they found was at least decent and not full of shabby run-down cabins.

"Okay I'm ready for bed!" Aiden came running out of Sam's bathroom and jumped on the couch.

Dean sighed, now they were going to have to leave this room if they wanted Aiden to go to sleep. "You wanna keep looking at the maps in your office room or hit the hay?" he asked his brother.

Sam looked longingly at the maps in his hands like he didn't ever want to stop researching but he ended up shaking his head. "No, I'm pretty tired and I bet you are too. We can look over them some more tomorrow."

"Alright." Dean clamped Sam on the shoulder. "'Night Sammy."

* * *

Oddly enough, sleep didn't come easily for Dean. He lay staring at the ceiling. He always liked to lay on his stomach in order to get a deep sleep and he wished his arm wasn't broken so he could get more comfortable.

_Your arm is broken because of me. Because you're weak._

Alastair's voice startled Dean. He knew it was only his subconscious, but it explained why he hadn't been able to sleep tonight. He had been feeling better about the whole situation, so he wasn't sure what had brought up these thoughts tonight. Maybe it was the Croats that he had seen?

_That's right. The Croats that can kill you now. You didn't think getting away from me meant you were safe, did you Dean? Those things are going to eat you alive and you'll leave your poor baby brother all alone._

"Shut the fuck up!" Dean grabbed another pillow and put it over his face, growling into it.

"Dean?"

Tossing the pillow away, Dean looked toward the door to see his little brother standing there, looking concerned in the soft glow from the bathroom nightlight.

Maybe Sam hadn't heard. Dean pretended to act sleepy. "What are you doing up Sammy?"

Sam walked into the room. "Nightmares. Couldn't sleep. And by the sound of it, you couldn't either. Who were you telling to shut up?"

"Aiden's snoring."

Sam folded his arms. "Dean," he spoke sternly.

"Fine. The voices in my head."

"Be serious for a second."

"I am." Dean's voice came out harsh.

That got Sam to walk over and sit on the edge of Dean's bed. "What are you thinking about?" he asked sincerely.

"Of you leaving me alone." Dean tried to turn over but Sam grabbed his shoulder.

"Dean. We promised each other that we'd..."

"Yeah, yeah...we'd talk to each other and share our little feelings and problems," Dean grumbled. "I know, I know. Just...give me a second..."

"Hey, take as much time as you need. I'm not going anywhere." Sam scooted so he was fully sitting on the other side of the bed, his back against the headboard.

Great. There went his hope of Sam getting tired of waiting. Dean sighed and put his good arm over his eyes.

"It's nothing. I just couldn't sleep."

"Dude, you're always sleeping. You never have any problem with it, you can pass out anywhere at any time. So what's bothering you?"

Dean scooted up on the bed. "You're not gonna stop, are you?"

"Would you if it were me?"

Of course Sam would know exactly what to say to get him to open up. "Fine. I was hearing that damn demon's voice in my head. Telling me how useless I am. Happy?"

Sam frowned, his puppy-dog eyes in full force. "Of course I'm not happy Dean. You know all that stuff that bastard said is a bunch of bullshit. You don't still believe him, do you?"

"No...I really was in a good place Sammy. Don't really know what brought it on. But hey, maybe he's right and it's just another reason I'm weak?" Dean tried for a smirk but it seemed to only make Sam more upset.

"Dean...you  _know_  you're not weak. When someone goes through something like you just suffered through...they don't get over it right away. It takes time to feel better. Even when you think you're over it...sometimes it pops back into your mind and takes all your focus... you have a hard time getting rid of it."

"Wow, that was beautiful Sammy. How about you repeat that and I'll write it down, turn it into a book? World's gonna need new literature, especially some motivational novels."

Sam didn't even chuckle. "We get to spend the rest of forever together, Dean. Don't start it off by making everything so difficult."

"Okay, okay." Dean held his head in his hand. "Sorry, I just suck at this, you know that. It's 'cause I'm…."

"If you say it's because you're a demon, then so help me…"

Dean smirked. "Nah, was gonna say it's because I'm  _Dean_. Always been a hard ass, demon's got nothing to do with it. Okay, well maybe a little…"

"You're changing the subject again. I don't want you to think there's anything wrong with going over what he said to you. But I need you to know it's not true and I want you to try and push it back when you start thinking those things."

"I know, I know. I just…I wish I would have been able to tell  _him_ how pathetic he was. I wish I would have told him that I figured out his stupid plan and that he never tore us apart like he thought."

"I think he probably got the hint when I showed up," Sam supplied.

"Yeah…maybe. I just wanted to see it in his eyes. For him to know how much he failed. But I got carried away and killed him."

"Hey, don't you wish I think the same? I wanted to say so many things to him. But…I think it's worse for him that he didn't know everything…that he died not knowing how he failed."

Dean thought about that for a moment. Alastair had always been one that thought he was right. He hated being proved wrong, but if he didn't know  _why_  he was wrong,  _why_ he failed, that was something that would drive the demon crazy.

"I guess you've got a point."

"I do. He got no satisfaction before he died. It was perfect." Sam patted him on he shoulder, in which Dean immediately shrugged off.

"So why couldn't you sleep?" he changed the subject. "What were the nightmares about?"

"Oh you know…just you getting eaten by Croats and dying," Sam huffed in response.

"Sammy I'm gonna be fine."

"Tell that to my subconscious."

Not knowing what to say, Dean found that he didn't want Sam to go back to his room. He was feeling calmer with his brother here, but it wasn't like he was going to admit that out loud.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Dean asked.

Sam smiled, it seemed like he didn't want to be alone at the moment either. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Dean didn't feel like getting up, so he focused on his pile of DVDs and sent one floating his way. It ended up being one of the stupid Transformers movies, but hey, it wasn't like they were going to really watch it anyway, just have something in the background to help them fall asleep.

He made the disc float into the DVD player and turned the TV on with his powers.

Sam laughed, grinning like he used to when Dean would show him one of his stupid 'magic tricks' when they were kids. "Dude, that was awesome."

"Hey, I'm a Deanmon, what's more awesome than that?"

Sam looked horrified. "Dean! That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard! Even coming from you!  _Deanmon_? Really?"

"Hey, you said I can't go around telling everyone I'm a demon, so I thought of something else."

"Don't you even _dare_. You know how embarrassing that is? Having a brother that thinks he's so funny with his lame-ass jokes?"

"Okay, maybe it is a little lame. I really thought about it a few months ago and I've been waiting for the right time to use it." Dean grinned.

"Yeah, well don't use it again. No one is going to think something as corny as that is funny."

Dean chuckled, loving the fact that he was able to irritate Sam just by being an obnoxious big brother. With being back in the same room with Sam, being able to hear his brother's steady breathing and know for certain he was safe…Dean found himself being able to fall asleep with ease. Yeah, it may seem ridiculous for men their age to want to sleep in the same room, but not only did they grow up that way, but throughout their entire lives, they always shared a motel room. Maybe they would be able to have a classic motel-style setup in the new place they would find to live…

Dean suddenly bolted upright. Not sure what caused him to wake up, he looked around wildly. He wasn't in the hotel anymore but a cabin…the same cabin from 1994…the same one as the dream world he and Sam had been in.

"Dean, hey!"

Dean turned to his left to see Sam jogging toward him. It wasn't a memory-Sam, it was  _his_  Sam, Sam's soul that appeared in the dream world. He held out his own hands and sure enough, one was mutilated and the other was missing completely.

Okay, so he had obviously jumped into Sam's dream again.

Sam reached over and Dean grabbed on with his one hand. After Sam pulled him to his feet, he looked at his older brother in awe.

"How do you do this?" He gestured to the dream-cabin around them.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling that great and neither were you. And then we talked it out and...I don't know, I...we wanted to feel safe?" He blushed at the end, but hey, Sam wanted him to be honest and he was.

Luckily Sam didn't call him a sissy or anything. In fact, he smiled at Dean's words. "I think so too. And it was like...I was dreaming and suddenly...it was like I could feel you..."

"Woah Sammy, don't get all freaky, I'm your brother..."

Sam shoved him, not minding the condition of his soul and for that, Dean was glad. Sam didn't even blink twice or look away when he saw him. "Shut up ass! You know what I mean. It was like I could feel your presence...and it was like I could let you enter my mind or I could refuse and push you out."

Well, Dean was pleased to hear that he wasn't forcefully intruding in Sam's mind. It made him feel better that Sam had wanted him here and could kick his ugly ass out whenever he felt like it.

"So uh...I guess we can just relax this time," Dean said awkwardly and poked Sam in the side with his demon tail. "No need to plan to bust me out of Alastair's prison. How about we go swimming in the lake?"

Sam smiled, smacking the tail away in amusement. "Yeah, that sounds awesome."

They followed the river behind the cabin to head toward the lake. They only made it about halfway when Sam suddenly doubled over, yelling in pain. The world around them flickered and faded.

"Sammy!" Dean knelt down, hand and stump on his brother's shoulders. "Hey, look at me! What's wrong? Sammy!"

"Ahhh...vision...Dean..." Sam groaned and clutched at his head before suddenly grabbing onto Dean's shirt tightly. "Don't leave. Don't leave me!"

"Sammy, I'm not! What..." Dean was forced to stop talking as he felt this horrible and painful tugging sensation. It was almost like he was being forced out of this dream. But Sam said he didn't want him to go, didn't he?

Dean focused, clutching onto Sam's shoulders the best that he could and willed himself to stay right here, to stay at his brother's side.

He wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't seem good and he couldn't leave Sam alone when he could be in danger.

One second, it felt like Dean's soul was tearing into pieces and the next, he was being shaken by Sam.

"Dean, Dean! Hey, you okay? Come on, move or something."

"I'm good, I'm good." Dean grunted, letting Sam help him up. He looked around him to see that they were….

Back in the hotel. Did this mean they weren't dreaming? Dean looked down at his hands again to see that he was still in his soul form. What the hell…

"Dean, it's a vision." Sam pointed over to the bed and Dean saw both him and Sam laying sprawled out on either side of it, fast asleep.

Well this was weird. "Are you sure about this Sammy?"

"I  _know_  when it's a vision or not Dean! I can' explain it but I  _know_."

"Is this how all your visions happen? You just get sucked from a dream straight into one?"

"I don't know." Sam shook his head. "Usually I'm not aware when I'm dreaming like I am when you're with me. I mean, I probably was taken from dreams right into a vision before but…I'm never…I have never been able to move around and talk. I'm either just a spectator or if I'm in the vision, I'm  _myself_ as if it's really happening."

Dean tried to follow what his brother was saying. "So, usually you would be…" He pointed to the Sam sleeping on the bed. "And you wouldn't realize that this is just a vision, but it would feel like real life?"

"Exactly. I don't realize it was a vision until I wake up. But this…this is different for some reason. I think it has to do with the fact that you're here too."

"Well okay." Dean walked over closer to the bed. "This could be good. You're aware it's a vision and you're in control of yourself so you can really focus on what's going on. And you've got me here to do that as well. But…" Dean kicked the bed. It sure felt as if it were real. "Why the hell are you having a vision of us drooling in our sleep?"

"I don't know! I can't control it. Usually the visions are something really important."

Dean was about to say something sarcastic when he heard distant growling. He ran out of the room and into the living area, opening the window and staring outside.

"Aww shit Sammy, I think I found out what's so important."

Sam joined Dean at the window and gasped. Sprinting toward the hotel were a massive horde of snarling Croats.

"Dean! There's gotta be….a hundred of them!"

"Maybe more," Dean pointed out. "Come on, wake us up! We gotta get out of the real hotel before this happens."

"I can't  _make_  us wake up! I doesn't work that way!"

"Each second that we're sleeping means these things are getting closer!"

"We can't do anything about it until we are awake! And maybe the longer this vision goes on, the more we can find out what happens and how to stop certain things."

Dean glanced back at his bedroom. "How come we aren't waking up?!"

"We were really tired and are in a deep sleep, probably still in that dream world. Of course we can't hear these things!"

Dean's eye caught the digital clock on the nightstand and he thought of something. "Hey, look it's…2:48….at least we know what time this happens! Now we know we gotta get out of here before then…what time did we actually fall asleep?"

"I….I came into your room at midnight. How long were we awake…a half hour, a little longer? Crap Dean, it could have been one in the morning when we fell asleep." Sam's voice was wavering with panic. "We're not going to have much time before we're under attack."

"Well it's a good thing I already packed up my shit."

"Who cares about our shit! I care about our lives!"

"Yeah, well isn't it helpful to at least have some of your stuff when we have to book it out of here?"

Sam was solemn as he turned back to the window. "I can't believe it," he said softly.

"Hey." Dean poked Sam with his demon tail again to get him to cheer up. It didn't work. "We were going to leave anyway, this just proves that we were right."

"Yeah, but I didn't think we'd be under attack so soon! This is crazy!"

"It's also why we have to find someplace safe. We won't get attacked like this in the mountains."

The Croats started banging against the front door, shoving their bodies against it. It was true that the door was protected, but only against monsters and demons, not Croats, especially not against a horde mutated ones. These things would knock down that door just by the force of them piling up against it.

"What the hell is that!"

Dean recognized the sound of his own voice and turned around. The vision-version of him and Sam sprang up from the bed and ran into the room.

"About time," Dean mumbled. He ended up gasping when the vision Sam and Dean walked  _right through them_  to get to the window. He looked toward his real brother. "Dude, this is nasty."

"Shut up and focus Dean."

Well, so much for trying to lighten the mood.

"They broke in, damn it!" Vision-Dean swore and grabbed at his brother's shirt. "We gotta get out of here  _now_!"

Dean watched as these versions of themselves quickly grabbed some weapons. Aiden had woken up and was crying as he followed the brothers around.

"Come on, let's follow them...err...us," Dean told his brother. They had just made it out the door when the lights went out.

"What the hell!" Vision-Dean yelled.

"The generator!" Vision-Sam gasped. "They must be in the back too and knocked it over or something!"

"Let's get down there now." Vision-Dean grabbed onto  _his_  Sam and told Aiden to hold on, and then teleported them away.

"Here," Dean said, grabbing onto Sam's arm just like his counterpart had. "Let's follow them." He focused, closing his eyes.

"Um…Dean…," Sam mumbled and Dean opened his eyes to see them standing in the same spot. "I don't think it's going to work here."

"It's a dream! Shouldn't we…or at least you…be able to manipulate what happens? I was able to create that cabin!"

"But this is a  _vision_ ," Sam reminded him. "We can't change anything and your powers obviously don't work either. We have to take the stairs, come on."

Sam headed toward the stairs but Dean pushed him aside to take the lead. Sure, it wasn't like they would get hurt in this vision, but big brother instincts never went away.

They hurried down the stairs, hearing horrified screams become louder and louder. On the fourth floor, someone sprinted past them up the staircase, the man was clutching at his bleeding arm. A few seconds later, a group of three Croats sprinted past the brothers as well, chasing the man. They were much less clumsy than the non-mutated Croats and had no problem quickly darting up the stairs.

Dean pulled Sam to the side even though the Croats would have gone through them and they watched in disgust as the creatures caught up to the man and bit into his flesh, tearing him apart in animalistic gluttony.

"Oh my god…" Sam was still staring at the man-made-Croat-meal, his hand over his mouth like he was going to vomit.

"Come on." Dean tugged at his sleeve. "We can't do anything about that here. But what we can do is get down there and see what's happening. Then we can try to prevent these deaths in the real world."

They finally made it down to the lobby only to find it in complete chaos. There were Croats running all over the place, all the furniture was knocked down and people were running in circles without any destination in mind, their faces full of panic. Bodies were scattered on the ground and blood stained almost every surface.

"Dean!" Sam shook his shoulder and pointed to his right. There was a body on the ground and it came into focus as Dean squinted.

It was Aiden, dead in a pile of blood with a large chunk of flesh bitten out of his neck.

Sam looked like he was about to cry so Dean pulled him away and led them through the madness. "It's not him Sammy. We can stop that. We have to find where we are. We probably went to the garage."

As soon as Dean said that, he heard his own voice yelling "Get to the garage!" He watched both the vision-version of him and Sam running toward the stairs that would lead to the garage.

But Sadie got there first, unaware that there was a Croat right behind her.

"Don't open it!" Dean yelled, knowing that it was useless. He watched Sadie pull open the door just as the Croat lunged at her. She fell to the ground with it biting at her, the two of them served as a door jam and a large group of Croats ran down the stairs into the garage.

"NO DAMN IT!" Vision-Dean screamed, but it was too late. They were trapped from all ends and quickly the brothers were surrounded. Vision-Dean pushed Sam behind him uselessly, their weapons drawn, not going down without a fight. There wasn't even a point in him teleporting out of the building, as he would probably just teleport into a group of Croats.

Without the garage, there really was no escape.

Dean turned Sam around, not wanting his brother to watch what could very well be their deaths. He closed his own eyes but couldn't block out the screams as the Croats attacked the Sam and Dean in front of them.

They had to be able to prevent this, or they were all going to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Only one chapter left (and then a sequel)! Hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you thought :)


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is! The last chapter! Thank you for sticking with me until the end! Sorry it took so long to post; it's always difficult for me to write final chapters. I hope you enjoy the end and remember to check the end of the story for more author's notes!

With a gasp, Sam shot up in bed, his head spinning. The last thing he remembered was Dean turning him away from the definite death scene in front of him. He looked toward his brother, who had also just awoken.

"Dean…"

"The time," Dean stated, not bothering to hide the panic in his voice. "What time is it?"

The red numbers on the clock seemed to taunt Sam. "2:12….Dean…it happened at 2:48. We only have a half hour."

Dean jumped out of bed and Sam did the same. The older brother quickly put on a pair of jeans and grabbed his backpack and duffle.

"I'll run across the hall and alert Bobby and then tell Aiden what's going on, you hurry and grab some of your stuff." Dean hurried into the living area and Sam ran past him to get to his own room.

Sam could feel his heart pounding in his chest, it felt like he was going to be sick and couldn't stop his hands from shaking. He wished he could sit down for a minute to try and settle his lightheadedness, but he couldn't waste any time, they barely had any as it was.

He tried to fit as many things as possible into his bags before changing into some jeans himself. It didn't seem like enough. There were so many things they couldn't take but hopefully he had enough essentials.

Sam even made sure to grab the pictures he had of him and Dean. He wanted to keep those with his as long as he possibly could. One day they might not have cameras anymore.

"Sammy, we gotta get going!" Dean called from the other room. Sam glanced at the room one last time, feeling a heavy weight in his chest, before running to meet his brother.

Dean was carrying Aiden with one arm, both his backpack on and duffle thrown over his good shoulder. All that weight probably didn't feel like much to him at all. But Sam was shocked that he was allowing Aiden to wrap his arms around his neck and cling to him desperately.

Dean read Sam's gaze. "Didn't want to argue with him, just let him do whatever he wants to keep him from crying. Wait….food…Sammy, grab a few boxes, as much as you can fit."

Luckily, Sam had a decent amount of room in his backpack. He shoved as many boxes and cans of food inside that could fit and threw it back over his shoulders. Glancing at the kitchen clock, he saw that it was already 2:20. They were running out of time.

Sam met back up with Dean by the door; they walked across the hall to Bobby's suite. The door was open and they could hear the kids that Bobby looked after crying.

Dean stepped inside. "Bobby, we gotta get down _now_."

"Okay, okay, I'm comin'." The older man appeared at the door with three kids behind him. There were two young kids, a boy and the girl was Emily, who Dean saved from the fireworks. The older child was a girl who held both the younger kids' hands. She held her chin up high but the look in her eyes proved that she was terrified.

They all were.

The group hurried to the elevator and Aiden started to sniffle.

"It will be okay Aiden. We'll get out before the Croats get in," Sam tried to assure the young boy.

"I'm trying to be brave but I'm scared," he whispered. "I don't want to leave."

Sam pressed he button to the first floor and looked at his watch. 2:25. Shit.  
"Dean, how are we going to alert everyone?"

"We tell Sadie first. She probably knows of a PA in here or can maybe turn on an alarm. Her room's on the first floor right?"

"Yeah, the first room on the left," Sam told him as the elevator doors opened to reveal the main lobby. It was quiet and peaceful, such a difference from what was to come.

Dean was the first to walk out. He placed Aiden on the ground. "Stay here with Bobby and your kiddy friends. Me and Sammy have to go help everyone."

That was nicer than Sam had expected. Aiden didn't even complain, running over to hug Bobby.

The brothers sprinted over to Sadie's room. Sam started banging on the door but Dean pushed him back, held his leg up, and sent the door flying off its hinges.

Sadie stumbled out of bed, almost falling on the floor. She looked up at the brothers with dazed, frightened eyes. "Sam…Dean…what? You broke my door!"

"We're under attack, we have a half hour to get the hell out of this place," Dean said. "Pack up and get out into the lobby."

"Wait, what?" Sadie questioned. She still seemed a little out of it although she was not half asleep any longer. "A half hour to get out? Who's attacking us?"

"I had a vision," Sam explained quickly. "There's a huge group of Croats coming and they're going to break in and…we'll all die if we don't get out. In the vision it was 2:48 when they broke in."

Sadie glanced at her clock. "It's 2:28…we…we don't have much time." She quickly grabbed her duffle bag and started throwing stuff in it. "Are you sure it's going to happen?"

"My visions have always come true. But we can prevent our deaths if we hurry."

Sadie seemed to decide that whatever she had packed was enough. She didn't even bother changing out of her pajama clothes, not that it mattered. Flinging the duffle over her shoulder, she walked past the brothers as they followed her.

"So you guys were right that we weren't going to be safe for long. But it's happening so soon…who would have guessed? Is everyone down here?" she asked.

"We just woke up," Dean told her. "Only got Bobby and the kids because their suite was next to us. We thought you'd blast it over the PA that everyone needs to hurry down here and leave."

"Shit, I don't know if everyone can make it down…" Sadie ran a hand through her hair and glanced toward the kids sitting on one of the lobby couches before hurrying over to the main desk. "What about food? We'll need…"

"Bobby's trying to gather up as much as he can from the kitchen," Sam informed her.

"Okay, okay…where will they come from? Maybe we can border up the place to buy us more time…"

"They surround the place and come in from all ends. There's  _hundreds_  of them. Pushing some couches in front of the doors won't do anything but waste our time," Dean stressed in an impatient tone. "Just get the PA on and alert everyone!"

Sadie nodded as she turned on the system. A loud screeching noise filled the hotel and she immediately pressed a button to turn it off. "Oops. Well, I guess that will help get people up." She played with the microphone and then turned it back on.

"Attention everyone," Sadie spoke loudly into the device. "Please meet down in the lobby as soon as possible and bring any necessary items. We are going to be under attack by Croats within the half hour and we have to leave the hotel as soon as possible. Please remain calm but act quickly."

Sam saw Dean roll his eyes at her official sounding message but Sam thought it was perfect. It was to the point and also alerted people that the situation was serious without causing people to go into a frenzy.

"We should wait by the elevators and try to get all the morons rounded up and to the garage," Dean said to him and Sam agreed. He checked his watch…only 25 minutes…that was all they had left.

The first group of people came down a few minutes later and consisted of Ellen and Jo. They were still in their pajamas and their hair was frazzled with sleep but they were both alert.

"Sam…Dean…are you sure something's coming?" Ellen asked.

"I had a vision…they're definitely coming, we don't have much time," Sam responded. "Did you make sure to grab anything you need?"

"As much as we could." Jo shifted the duffle on her shoulder. "Mainly weapons and some clothes but we didn't want to waste anymore time."

"Good," Dean said. "Now hurry and get over by that couch." He pointed toward where Bobby was now sitting with the kids. "We gotta gather everyone up and then get to the garage."

Luckily, mostly everyone else who came down didn't ask questions. They followed the brothers' instructions to form a group in the lobby.

"It's one thing that we have to leave. It's something else to leave in the middle of the goddamn night!"

Sam turned around to see Allen emerge from the crowd. The man _did_  have a point and it was understandable that he was upset but damn it, they didn't have time for this!

Before Sam could even think of what to say, Dean approached the angry man with quick steps. Allen looked nothing like the stubborn asshole he was when actually faced in a confrontation with Dean.

"Listen, jackass." Dean grabbed Allen's shirt in a fist. "You've been testing my patience since I got here but I've kept quiet about your whining the entire time. How 'bout you take your attention seeking ass and stay right here then? You getting eaten would do us all a favor."

A couple people snickered despite the dire situation and Sam didn't even bother to tell his brother to calm his words. If Allen didn't believe them, then he could stay right where he was.

"The fact that it  _is_  in the middle of the night should tell you how serious this is," Sam spoke up. "Do you think Dean of all people, who has a strange obsession with sleep, would want to get up at this hour and rush out of here? Think about it."

Dean let go of Allen, not before shoving him a little and then looked at his watch. "We've got just under 15 minutes! We're lucky I packed some cars with gallons of gasoline. Now come on, let's get into the garage."

They headed toward the steps and were only a few feet away when the lights began to flicker.

Sam turned to his brother, who seemed just as confused. "It's not time yet..."

Someone screamed and both brothers glanced forward again. Standing in front of the door was Nikki, the ghost friend of Sadie who had helped in exposing the betrayer, Hayley.

She must have materialized if everyone could see her, otherwise it would have only been Dean. That must mean she was getting stronger. By the angry look on her face, that wasn't a good sign.

"You can't leave me," she stated. Her voice not only had an echoing quality to it, but sounded completely detached, as if she weren't in her right mind.

Sam shook his head. What was going on? Nikki had helped them before, so why was she standing in their way? "Is she a vengeful spirit now?" he addressed his brother.

Dean seemed just as confused. "Yeah, I guess. That was fast. Looks like she's not so friendly anymore."

"This didn't happen in the vision!" Sam growled in frustration, trying not to be freaked out by Nikki's eerie gaze.

"That's because we were already under attack in the vision and stood no chance at getting away." Dean took a step forward, but Nikki's face seethed with anger and she thrust her hand into his stomach.

Sam grabbed at his brother who was yelling in pain, pulling him away from the ghost. He stepped forward as a shield between the ghost and Dean. Holding his hands up, he tried for an offering of peace.

"Nikki, we have to leave. The Croats are going to come and we'll all die. You're not tied down here, you can come too."

The lost look in the spirit girl's eyes never left. Sam knew right then that there was no use reasoning with her, she had lost herself to he madness that usually came with being able to watch, but not interact with everyone around you.

"I can leave with you only to be left out again? So I can watch you all have fun and live while I'm stuck like this?" She clenched her fists and the lights flickered again. "No. You have to stay. You can die and then be like me and we'll all be together."

"It doesn't work that way, you crazy bitch!" Dean growled and stood up, still breathing a little hard from the ghost attack. "If they get bit and turn, they're stuck in their bodies! They're not gonna turn into spirits. And even if someone eventually comes by and kills them when they're Croats, their souls go straight to Hell!"

Nikki was too far-gone to listen to Dean's reasoning. "I won't be left alone again," she said, her face taking on an almost insane expression. Her downfall must have started when Hayley trapped her in the closet and Nikki was forbidden to get revenge on the other woman. She seemed to be a bit unstable then, but Sam hadn't seen the ghost girl since then, and assumed everything was fine.

The ghost walked closer to the brothers but Sadie pushed her way between them before she could do any harm.

"Nikki. You need to relax. We are all right here. You're communicating with us now! If you can just try to do that more often…" Sadie let out a wail of pain as Nikki sent her fist through the young woman's stomach as well.

"Do you know how hard it is for me to be doing all of this right now! I've been conserving energy for a week!" She closed her eyes and Sadie flew through the air, landing in a graceless heap across the lobby.

Some people began to scatter and scream. They had to get this situation under control now, but neither of them had any rock salt or iron, having only grabbed weapons that would be helpful in eliminating Croats.

"That's your best friend!" Sam told the ghost, who didn't seem to be fazed by what she had done. He looked back to Sadie and saw that she seemed to be okay, already on her feet and trying to calm people down.

"My best friend who forgot about me, who stopped visiting me." Nikki's face filled with anger and she pointed at Dean. "But all of you stay with him. You talk to him and befriend him and protect him! He can see me but he never went out of his way once to talk to me!"

"That's because I don't know or care about you!" Dean seethed. "Why the hell would I…" He stopped and ducked down, grabbing Sam when a couch came hurtling toward them. They hit the floor safely but the large object knocked a few people down and smashed into Lexi, the woman Dean used to sleep with, pinning her to the ground.

Sam looked back at the ghost, trying to prepare himself for her next attack, when Ruby appeared out of thin air with a shotgun. Before the ghost even sensed her presence, she fired rocksalt at Nikki, causing her to dissipate with a scream.

"Oh now you show up?" Dean grumbled.

"Had to take care of your incapable and unprepared asses. While you guys rushed down here I was busy getting prepared." She shifted the large bag on her shoulder, which appeared to be filled with weapons. "So here, as a parting gift, take this." She threw the rocksalt gun at Dean, who caught it with his good hand.

"Parting? What…," Sam started but Ruby cut him off.

"The announcement said Croats are coming. I'm not staying and risking my life when those things can kill me now. I'm teleporting as far as far away from here as I can. Though I can say I hope you two morons make it out alive."

And with that, she was gone.

"Wow! What a great help you were!" Dean yelled at the spot that Ruby vacated. "Left right when we need you the most!"

Sam shook his head. He was annoyed but not surprised. Ruby was never going to be like Dean. Helping them didn't provide her with anything anymore. No matter what she had told Dean with enjoying being here, she valued her life and safety far more. When push came to shove, Sam always assumed she wouldn't stick around.

"At least she gave us this." He motioned to the shotgun in Dean's hand.

"Yeah, good. Now you take these people down to the garage while I distract the ghost."

"I'm not leaving you alone up here!" There was no way Sam would ever agree to that. "We're running out of time! What if they broke in while I'm down there and got to you?"

"Sam I…" Dean began to argue when Bobby spoke up.

"You two stick together up here. But be careful. I'll lead them downstairs."

Before the older hunter could move, Nikki appeared behind him and Dean aimed the shotgun singlehandedly.

"Duck, Bobby!" the demon bellowed. Bobby fell to the ground just when Nikki reached out her hand. The gun went off, spraying Nikki with rocksalt and getting rid of her for a few moments once again.

Dean lifted Bobby up with his powers. "The cars I stocked with gas are in section 1B, get them over to those." Bobby nodded and took off toward the stairs. Dean turned around, gesturing to the shell-shocked group. "What are you all waiting for? Follow him down there!"

The group didn't waste anymore time as they took off after Bobby. Sam glanced around and saw Sadie, who helped up the few people who got hit by the couch. They seemed bruised and dizzy, but nothing serious. He then spotted Lexi, who was crying while still trapped under the couch. He nudged his brother and the two hurried over to her. Dean lifted the furniture off the woman with his powers, but she didn't get up.

"My legs! I think they're broken!" She looked up at the brothers in desperation.

Dean glanced around the room anxiously and looked at his watch again. "We have under five minutes!"

"We can't just leave her here Dean."

"I know and if we had more time I'd be able to possess her and heal her. What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Please! Please don't leave me! I can't be one of those things." The woman was close to bawling.

"Just kill her now and she can stay with me."

Sam heard Nikki's voice but Dean had already shot rocksalt at her before he turned around.

"She's coming back faster Sammy." Dean looked around and saw that not everyone had made it down to the garage yet. Marcy was still trying to gather up some reluctant and terrified children. "We can't carry her down and leave the ghost to attack those kids."

They only had minutes before the Croats were going to pile up at the door. But they couldn't leave Lexi to get eaten. She was still alive. She still had a chance.

"Sam. Dean. Can I be of any assistance?" The brother's followed the sound of the voice to see Castiel standing about ten feet away.

Sam was literally thanking god in this moment.

"I'm not even gonna get in an argument about what took you so long to get down here." Dean pointed at Lexi. " Bring her down to the garage with the others. The Croats are going to attack soon and we're trying to distract the crazy hotel ghost by keeping it up here."

Castiel was staring at the gun in Dean's hand. "I believe it would be a better idea for me to take watch up here with the ghost. If the Croats break in, they can kill you both, but they cannot kill me."

Sam looked at his brother. "It's a good plan."

"You know how to shoot a gun?" Dean asked dubiously.

"I was out in this infected wasteland for a year. I learned how to adapt by picking up new skills."

"Okay good." Dean held out his hand toward Lexi and the woman floated upwards. "Come on Sammy." He started walking forward while the woman continued to float ahead of them.

Marcy was trying to drag the final two kids down the stairs to the garage but they continued to cry and thrash around whenever she tried to pick them up.

"Time to move your asses kids." Dean glared down at the children and they suddenly were ripped away from Marcy and started sliding on their heels toward the door. "Someone open it for me!"

There must have been a limit to how many things Dean could use his powers on at one time. He seemed to be struggling a bit as it was, his face tensed in concentration and distress.

Sam rushed over and threw open the door. Dean floated the kids and Lexi to the bottom where Bobby and Sadie were there to help them. He then looked back at Marcy. "Come on! Hurry the hell up! We don't have any time!"

As if to prove Dean's point, a thunderous thud was heard throughout the hotel, followed by several other sounds that sounded like pounding. Sam glanced back at the front to see that the Croats had begun to pile up against the doors and windows. He could also hear the shotgun going off as Nikki seemed to be appearing more often.

This wasn't good.

Marcy ran past them, silent for once, and Sam was forced to look away from the windows when Dean grabbed his sleeve. "Come on Sammy."

Sam let his brother pull him in front. Of course Dean was going to make sure his little brother got to safety first. However, Sam refused to walk down the stairs until Dean was safely behind the door as well and had it locked.

"Well." Sam locked eyes with his brother. "That went a lot better than the vision."

The words had barely left his mouth when Nikki appeared in front of them.

* * *

Dean reached out to grab his brother, ready to teleport them both, when Nikki's hand went through him with no pain to accompany it. Her solid form began to flicker and she gasped, actually looking afraid.

"Not so strong anymore, are you bitch. Wasted all your juice when you kept materializing."

"Dean," Sam spoke up and tugged at his sleeve, motioning that they needed to get down the stairs. One look at his brother's face and Dean knew that Sam was feeling bad for the woman. Maybe it was true that she couldn't help turning into what she had. But to Dean, there was no going back for her, no feeling guilty on his part. He had always been able to separate the monster from the person they used to be, even when he was human. It was just now that he absolutely felt no remorse. If they turned evil, they had to die.

Funny how he considered himself an exception. But hey,  _he_ wasn't evil.

Nikki flickered a few more times before vanishing completely. They wasted no more time and reached the bottom of the steps only to see that people were still trying to get loaded up into the cars.

"Just get into one! Who cares! We're gonna have to gun it as soon as we open up the garage door!" He walked over to a car and started beckoning people in but a good amount of them were panicking by the banging coming from the upstairs and weren't paying attention. Dean ended up having to grab them with his powers and shove them toward an open car.

The Croats were going to break in soon. But maybe they would be distracted by the angel for some time before they found their way down here. Or maybe luck would finally be on their side for once and the Croats wouldn't tear down the door that led downstairs to the garage. It wasn't like those things could smell them from down here, could they?

But of course, luck was indeed _not_  on their side, as the lights chose that moment to go out. Dean knew it was going to happen because of the vision, he had just hoped it wouldn't be this soon.

A bunch of people began to scream, of course. Dean focused and created a flame above his hand. It wasn't much at all, but it created a soft glow that the group noticed.

"Shut the hell up!" he whispered. "Do you want those things to hear us?"

A loud shatter was heard from above and the growls got louder. The Croats were officially in the building.

"Dean, bring that flame over here." Sam was on the ground, digging through his backpack. Dean hovered over him, creating just enough light that Sam could see what he was doing. After a few seconds, he pulled out a heavy duty flashlight.

"Nice thinking Sammy."

Sam flicked it on, filling the dark garage with a strong and bright beam of light. Dean extinguished the flame with his mind and waved his arms around, trying to gather everyone's attention.

"We're lucky Sam brought the flashlight. Now hurry and get your asses in the cars!"

Everyone really began to scramble, but at least the idiots were getting in the vehicles. It took a few minutes, but sure enough, everyone was sitting safely in the cars. Only the group of hunters along with Carl and Sadie were standing guard.

"You boys get in the car." Bobby pointed over to the Impala, where Aiden was sitting in the backseat crying, with Jo who was trying to comfort him.

Dean shook his head. "I've gotta open the garage door first. And try to fend off any Croats that might get in the way and take care of things if anything goes wrong."

"Dean…" Bobby started. "I don't like that…"

"And I'm going to be right by your side when you do," Sam said.

Dean didn't have a chance to argue any longer. A loud thud came from the door that led back to the hotel. Shit, other Croats might start piling up against it too.

"Okay, you're gonna start driving…." Dean shouted to the people in the cars, holding his hand over toward the large garage door. With a single motion, it flew open. "Now!"

No one needed to be told twice, everyone seemed to slam on the gas at the same time. Dean could hear the growls, but it didn't seem like too many Croats would flood in. Maybe they would be okay…

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw an unexpected and inevitable problem about to take place. He held out his hand again, but he was too late to prevent the two cars from crashing right into each other.

"You fucking morons!" He ran toward the wreck with Sam, Bobby and Sadie. Everyone looked okay, but the cars were toast. He started ungracefully grabbing the people and tossing them out of the vehicles.

"Dean! We gotta run!" Carl pointed ahead and Dean followed his gaze to see at least a hundred Croats running toward the garage. They were semi distracted by the cars that were taking off out of the building, but it wouldn't hold their attention for long.

"Come on! Get in another car!" Dean grabbed a few people and Sam did the same, moving them to other vehicles that had room.

"Hey! Get back here!" Sadie called out, her attention toward the outside.

There was a man running off, out of the building. What the hell was that idiot thinking? Did he honestly think he stood a better chance on his own and on foot?

Dean didn't try to save him. The man was too far away for Dean to grab him with his powers...or at least he assumed so. He didn't dare state his thoughts out loud but….the man would come as a welcome distraction. The Croats would come to eat him first before coming over by them.

It was time for them to get in the car. He grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Come on Sammy…"

The door to the hotel broke down at that moment, Croats pouring down the stairs, tripping over themselves in their eagerness.

Both brothers wielded their machetes. "Go!" Dean yelled back at Bobby. "Get in the Impala and go!"

"But Dean…," Bobby began to complain.

"I said go! Get the hell out of here! We'll stall them and then be behind you!"

The noise of the Impala taking off was heard a few seconds later. Dean made sure to stand right at his brother's side as the first Croats approached. They were strong, but he was stronger. He was able to chop their heads clean off and Sam seemed to be holding his own as well. Sam had stronger arms than most people and a near perfect aim. When he swung with both arms, the Croat didn't stand a chance.

They took out five when Dean decided it was too easy. There had to be something preventing more Croats from approaching them. He glanced back over toward the door to see the monsters had formed a big pile at the foot of the stairs from falling over one another. With the added weight, none of them could get up except the ones at the top of the pile.

Maybe now was their chance.

"Dean…we're in trouble." Sam cut off another Croat's head and then stared at the open garage door with terrified eyes.

About fifty Croats were about to enter the garage, with more behind them. They sniffed the air. One craned it's neck and looked at the brothers, letting out a piercing screech.

They were cornered.

"Hey!"

Both the brothers and the Croats turned to see Castiel standing at the top of the stairs. He jumped down the side and began walking toward the large horde of monsters. Looking over at the brothers, he motioned for them to go. "I can distract them. You can have a chance of getting out but you must leave now."

Dean locked eyes with his brother. "The gray car, let's go!"

Dean had stocked about fifteen cars with gasoline when they only needed about eight or nine, just in case of an emergency. He felt lucky that he had planned ahead. Sure, they had taken the most reliable cars first, but this older Taurus should work just fine.

He waited until Sam was safely in the driver's seat before getting in the other side. What he would give to drive right now…but he was too much of a liability with an arm broken. It was up to Sammy. He didn't say it much, but his little brother did have pretty awesome road skills.

Sam turned the ignition and for a second, Dean was afraid the car wouldn't start even though he checked all the vehicles the other day. The sound of the engine coming to life was a welcome one. Both brothers breathed a sigh of relief and Sam slammed on the gas. The car swerved a bit with the sudden acceleration but the younger brother was able to get it under control quickly.

"Watch for the wreck Sammy." Dean pointed to the smashed cars and Sam easily dodged them. They didn't have the headlights on in fear of attracting more Croats and it was difficult to see. It was true that he could be a pretty terrible backseat driver, but that just came from Sam driving the Impala. He was always paranoid something was going to happen to his baby. Hopefully Bobby didn't smash into anything.

"These things better not break through the window." Sam winced and clutched the steering wheel tighter as they blasted through a group of Croats. They had just exited the garage, there was moonlight that made it a bit easier to see around them. Thank goodness it was a clear night. Most of the monsters flew over the top of the car but a couple collapsed and they rode over the bodies, slowing the vehicle down.

"Relax Sammy, you're doing fine," Dean tried to calm his brother. They went through another horde, all around them were the sounds of groaning, squishing and snapping as the creatures got hit. They slowed down a bit through the middle of the pack but had enough momentum to carry through.

"There's less to the right, go that way," Dean instructed and Sam listened, sharply turning the steering wheel. There was a loud crunch and a severed arm hit the windshield. Sam screamed and turned on the wipers, which struggled to move the limb. It finally fell off and Dean couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not funny! That was disgusting!" Sam yelled, his face bright red.

"Oh come on, it was pretty awesome."

Sam started to smirk a little, but the smile quickly left his face when they cleared the group and were out in the open. Now that they were able to see more than two feet in front of them, there was another crowd of Croats to the left. The creatures were surrounding a car, one of them had smashed its hand through the glass and was reaching toward the passengers inside.

Dean could just make out the faces of the people in the car. They were from the hotel of course, but none that either brother had been particularly close to. Well, it sucked to be them. They had stupidly left their headlights on.", and that had been their downfall.

"Dean…we…"

"You know we can't do anything Sam. We'd get killed."

Sam nodded, his eyes were watering and he forced himself to look away. They finally reached the road and he turned north. "Where were we meeting up at again?"

Dean knew Sam remembered but understood the question for what it was worth. Sam wanted to change the subject. As long as he didn't mope too much and kept his head in the game, that was fine.

"Ruthton, Minnesota. Should only be an hour and a half at most." They had never really travelled north before, so they were hoping the area would be clear of mutated Croats. "Everyone should be able to get there fine."

"Unless they get attacked by a cluster of Croats!" Sam referred back to the car they saw just moments ago.

"Hey, it's one car out of nine. You didn't expect everyone to get out, did you? I'd say that's a pretty good survival rate."

"We don't know if everyone else is safe," Sam pointed out.

"True, but the worst is past us, we…"

Two Croats suddenly jumped out in front of the car. The brothers let out a surprised yell and Sam, on instinct and shock, served to try and avoid hitting them.

He had let his guard down too early, they both had.

The car skidded off the road, careening right toward a telephone pole. Without the headlights on, it was impossible to see the structure until the car was right on top of it. In a panic, Sam desperately tried to swerve but was going too fast. The front of the driver's side slammed into the pole and the car began spinning out. The momentum caused the vehicle to tip dangerously to the left and the front wheels got caught in the ditch at the side of the road, flipping the car upside down.

Dean shook his dizziness away. Blood dripped from the top of his head and down the side of his face but he ignored it and quickly looked at his brother.

Sam was slummed in the seat, not moving. His head was titled and his mouth slightly opened. Blood also ran down his forehead, taking Dean by alarm.

The impact had happened on the driver's side. Sammy took the brunt of the accident's force.

"Sammy!" Dean didn't bother whispering, knowing that the Croats nearby would have heard the accident and were coming regardless. He shook his brother's shoulder without any response. With a shaking hand, Dean felt for a pulse.

The gentle thumping had Dean relaxing, but only for a moment. He had to get Sam awake. If Sam was unconscious for too long and had a concussion, it could lead to major complications.

"Sam!" Dean shook him once more. His brother didn't even budge. "Sammy!"

The growling noises were quickly approaching and soon Dean felt the monsters pressing against the car, trying to reach for them both.

He could teleport them out, but what if he ended up teleporting them in a middle of a crowd of Croats? Even if he didn't, Dean had one good arm and while he could throw Sam over his shoulder and carry him, he wouldn't be able to run as fast. He needed Sam awake and alert, able to run.

They were screwed.

"Sam!" Dean cried out in desperation. "Come on little brother…..Sammy!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and for those that supported with their reviews and comments! I always loved hearing your thoughts and considering your ideas. It really kept me going. I loved hearing your insightful comments and I really appreciate it!
> 
> This is the end for this story, but there's still more to come in this universe (because what kind of series would end like this?) I will get to work at writing the third story in this series! As soon as chapter one is done, I will post it. So keep a lookout for the next story. I will also post another "chapter" to this one with a note alerting people that the new story is out once it's posted.
> 
> While I'm writing that, I would love to hear what you thought of this chapter and the story altogether! Also, let me know of any ideas or things you would like to see in the next story. Of course I can't guarantee I will use any of them, but it will help get the ball rolling and will assist me in knowing what direction to take in the series.
> 
> Once more, thank you for all your support!


End file.
